Stuck in between you
by LadyDi
Summary: This wasn't the first time he had seen something like this. Over the last month alone, he had lost maybe an extra hour of sleep each time he stayed up to see just what she thought was so important at such an ungodly hour of the night and interrupted his sleep. If she was going to do so, he was going to see the spectacle!
1. College life as a model

ISC Paris Business School. It took so long to figure out what in the world those first three letters meant. He bet he spent the first year there without even knowing the acronym. But, after spending three years there and undertaking the bachelor's program, he didn't really care anymore.

A business school was never his first choice...as were most things, he supposed. He would have preferred the prestigious, oldest university in Paris if his opinion mattered. Paris-Sorbonne University;. home to the study of arts, various languages, human sciences, communication, education, and classical literature. Most of them were interesting, but useless for what had been planned out for him.

The bachelor's degree flew by whenever he took a few moments to think back on it. That first year was a challenge, mostly because everything was in English instead of French. A standard for the school to prepare the student for international dealings, probably. Thankfully, due to so much "rigorous" home-schooling by Natalie, he had no trouble excelling in his classes and getting an edge on most of his fellow beginner students in much of the vocabulary.

The whole first year was just basic business stuff. Some things he was already aware of by being under his father's thumb for so long. Another helper, although unintentional. He would've been more thankful if he wanted to be there in the first place.

It was so boring for more reasons than he could count, and he would have struggled if the information were more unknown to him. Those were little blessings that he held dear whenever he drifted off on a topic he was slightly familiar with and the teacher noticed. Every time, he would redirect any queries about his lack of attention with questions he had about the topic to show that not only did he know what was going on, but he had something to bring to the class.

The first half of year one made him "Gabriel's Son" and a few girls were actually awed at sitting next to him. It was a fun distraction during class and it made group projects a little more bearable on the days he really didn't want to be there. It wore off by the end of the year when everyone was more used to him though. He supposed it was fine; it wasn't like he advertised his status by being there. A few times, some of those slipped notes got him in trouble, and it was annoying to have to listen to his teacher go on about his responsibility as a role model because of who he was.

A role model. Right.

The only reason he got through the second year was because the third year had a short-term, study abroad program attached to it. He still couldn't believe his father let him go! Course, it WAS Milan and it wasn't a runway show during that time. Even if it was, he knew his father would have flown him back for the event, school be damned.

Ah Milan...close enough to be called upon when necessary, yet far enough away from his father's grasp for a little while. A mere hour and a half of a flight, and he could have spent more on lunch in Italy than his father would spend on plane fare.

Without a doubt, those were the best times out of all three years of that program. He could've gone to other English-speaking countries to finish out the degree, but Milan was one of the options and his father wanted him to round out his Italian for the future. That city was the biggest fashion rival to Paris and it was good to know everything others did, including their ways of speaking. His father didn't like going through translators because slip-ups meant serious business problems. Because of that, Gabriel was fluent in Italian, along with English and Japanese, and expected such things from his son as well.

Not that it was a problem; learning languages was fairly fun. He had been given Chinese during his home-schooling years by a native speaker in the past and still practiced with the person twice a month to keep his skills up because his father had been breaking into the Hong Kong markets lately.

Natalie was called upon to give her expertise when Gabriel found out that the program called for studying abroad. She tutored him during year two and when it came time to leave, he was only brushing up on his conversation skills via books he purchased for the plane ride over.

It would have been a wilder experience had his teachers not been informed to report to Natalie if anything unsightly happened. A slip in the grade, not turning his homework in on time, wild parties, too many late nights out...

Did his father think that twenty-year-old males just stayed home every single night and studied?

It took about a month to get the "system" down, but once he figured out how to get out without getting caught, he took advantage of it whenever possible. A few clubs, some quiet strolls, a couple of quaint dates, sneaking out of a few rooms late in the evening...

Those four months flew by, but they were memories he still went back to time and time again. Whenever he was bored, in the middle of homework, not really focusing as he should in class... Often times, he reminisced about those days when he cut loose more than he ever had. The freedom was nice. Even though he had class responsibilities every day, they were managed with ease and the fun he had was more than he had seen in all his school years.

Immediately after obtaining his bachelor's in "Specialization in Luxury Management", he was enrolled right into a master's program. Not even a break to enjoy his hard work! Not that he was really shocked. Whenever he thought back to the conversation with his father, he didn't even know why he was that stunned in the first place. He was only twenty-two; of course his father was going to want him to spend his best years getting as many degrees as possible to best represent the company when he was forced to take it over someday...

What was the point in finding some down time when he never had it in the first place?

Even if he was an adult by legal standards, he would never get out of the impressive shadow that was his father. Even if he technically worked for his father, he only saw the money in food and rooming he didn't pay for so he really had no money to strike out on his own with.

It was probably that conversation which had him shrugging his shoulders and trudging back into ISC, a little older, but a little wiser. A part of him wanted to rebel more than those few sentences he had attempted, but after going through so much, it was almost pointless to try at this time in his life.

"Gabriel's Son" was back, but the people he had taken bachelor's classes with didn't pay him the same attention as that first year. It didn't matter really; he didn't care much for the popularity it brought him in the first place and at times it was annoying to have girls fawn over him because his face was better than most. The great thing about those in the master's classes was that everyone was much more professional than the undergrad classmates. Those students were still around, but now he didn't pay them much mind whenever they stopped in the hallway with saucer eyes as he passed.

The beginning of the year was most annoying because his father kept pulling him away more for photo shoots and clothing fittings for the upcoming, winter show. The main ideas had been initialized and now was the time for the model to walk in the outfit so people could poke and prod, pull and bunch up fabric to get that look which made him appear the best on the catwalk. Natural. Desirable. Fashionable.

If he had to choose "living mannequin" or any of his first year basic classes, he'd choose school in a heartbeat! Being a model was boring when all you did was stand there and everyone else did something to you, around you. There were so many times when he couldn't move, could hardly speak when makeup was working on him, and couldn't touch anything that was on him. Any of the items he wore could easily pay for any of the classes he was in and they were nice to wear, but he'd trade those long hours for his textbooks any day.

The worst thing was when he was pulled out of his classes in the afternoon and then forced to do as everyone else wanted well into the evening. Even if dinner was provided to the staff because their attendance was dire, he was pretty much a fly on the wall. There was nothing to do except stand there and listen to people drone on in vocabulary he had long ago memorized and wish he could leave before midnight showed up.

Getting back to the school's dorm was a blessing and a curse. It was nice because he could get away from everyone and finally find his bed, but horrible because it only reminded him that he had morning classes which were way too early for his liking. Any time he trudged into his small room and eyed his bed, an annoyed, sleepy groan would erupt at that thought and his head would droop. He was only so lucky that there were fairly extended breaks of nothing during those meetings which allowed him to get his reading done!

All he wanted was his huge, comfy bed at the mansion and three days to sleep at any given time! But that wasn't possible for so many reasons: his father would have him woken up for something he needed to do, he had class, and there were too many windows which he couldn't keep the sun out of at that apartment of a bedroom he had forsaken.

He could fit three of his dorm rooms into that bedroom easily, but he preferred this to his home because it was another way to get away from his father. The school was extremely close to the mansion and it was a mere drive to get from one to the other. He knew he only got away with living in the dorms for so many years was because he argued that he could get to class faster and could still be readily available should he be called upon.

The worst thing about so many late nights like he was recently having was that his alarm went mostly unheard. He was so overly tired that he slept through it. It forced him to leave the curtains open on his window so that daylight got in his eyes and helped wake him up. Anything other than full sun only caused him to roll over and throw a pillow over his head. There was just one more problem with that though...

He rolled over with a groan, eyes squinting open at the mass amount of light invading the walls of his room. Not again! It had to be one in the morning and he had almost fallen asleep! Throwing a pillow over his head didn't help because then he couldn't breathe very well. He needed darkness to sleep and the amount of light spilling into his room from the dorm across the way was irritating!

After a moment of attempting to sleep, he threw the pillow from his head and sat up with a growl. He really wanted to report whoever kept doing this! Why did it have to be the dorm across from his window?! What did he do to deserve this?

Throwing the blankets off brought a chill from the fall weather and had him grabbing the robe he draped at the edge of the comforter. He threw it on and stumbled to the window to see what was going on this time. Maybe he could find something to use and finally get some sleep for once!

The dorms were all the same design; simple and small. Furniture was provided in sparse amounts. Thus, he could look at any of his classmates' spaces and not find anything interestingly different from his own.

This however, was oddly not the case and it was always interesting to see what was there after the initial annoyance wore off.

The window was big enough to see half of the bed, part of the desk, and a small chunk of walkway around the room. The bedspread that was provided was absent with a much brighter one, though he couldn't see most of it. Much of it was littered with clothing, chunks of rolled up fabric, a mannequin torso, and the owner of the room.

The hair was thrown up in such a messy bun, he knew it was done mostly to keep out of the way of her face. The clothes she had on were still daytime wear, as if she had just gotten home and wasn't even close to getting ready for bed. It was oddly simple, yet looked good on her. Dark, plain tights and a knit tunic with the sleeves pulled up. The whole setup she had on screamed "I'm working" and a curious brow went up as he watched her move around.

This wasn't the first time he had seen something like this. Over the last month alone, he had lost maybe an extra hour of sleep each time he stayed up to see just what she thought was so important at such an ungodly hour of the night and interrupted his sleep. If she was going to do so, he was going to see the spectacle!

He leaned against the wall, partially hidden from view with the intent to duck out of sight should she turn around and happen to see him watching her. Hands rested in the pockets of his robe to keep his hands warm, feet curling against the chill of the floor as he huddled in the warm cloth. He barely moved as he stared, watching her pace back and forth around the small space she called hers.

He had never planned on doing something so pointless more than once, but the first time he did this caused something inside him to be captivated. He still couldn't put his finger on it and he didn't understand it, but maybe that was part of the allure. Green eyes avidly watched as she pointedly strode from one point to the other, shoulders squared and her head sharply pointing in whatever direction she ended up flittering to. The surety in her work and confidence in her movements brought grace to her arms and legs.

He never checked the clock at the start of these times, but figured he stood and watched for at least an hour or so. It was amusing to see her work and try to figure out what she was making at the time. If she was at such a school as well, it was because she had plans for design of some kind...obvious enough by what she was working on so late at night.

The few times he managed to see the more finished product, he was impressed by what he saw. She had an eye for talent and her color choosings were good. Any designs he could make out he could tell were well-crafted and very detailed. He often wondered if the things she made were projects for class and what kind. Was that why she was up so late? Did she do classes during the day like him and then squeeze in a few extra hours to do what was necessary for the next day?

Most times the back of her head was facing his window, or an occasional side profile would show up. He guessed there was no point in turning the lights on to work and then merely stare out the window. But, he never could pick the face out well enough to know if he had any classes with her or not. It would have been nice; then he could pull this person aside and have a conversation with her...maybe even let her know that she was seriously inconveniencing him like this.

Well...maybe not seriously inconveniencing him...maybe it was slightly entertaining to see her work in the same manner as those he was a doll for every day. She never lacked in new things she did and thus it was never boring to watch her at the most random times in the evening. After a few moments his annoyance would cool and peak his curiosity...especially when he could catch the glimpse of a smile or silent laugh she would give to the occasional, invisible person somewhere in the room with her.

There was only one time that this puzzle of a woman gave him one good piece to ponder over the next day after he had seen it. One night, much like now, she was working with the lights on and the curtains brazenly opened...but not alone.

From what he could see, there was a noticeably toned arm and part of a naked torso in view. She kept moving around the faceless person, measuring him and touching him as if used to him. It was about the time when those male arms went around her torso and didn't let go that he decided he was done peeking for the night and went to bed.

Tonight, her only companion was a female mannequin torso on its stereotypical stand. She walked around it with her measuring tape, head cocked to one side in obvious thought as she circled it again and again. If the neck part wasn't so in the way, he would've been able to see more than a quick flash of blue eyes under that chunk of bangs covering her forehead. It had been the biggest piece he had ever been given to know who she was and perhaps he counted himself lucky for seeing it this time.

A hand finally rose and rubbed his eyes. He looked to the clock and found it past two. His head clunked against the wall lightly with a groan. If he wanted enough sleep to be useful by noon, he had to shuffle her away and get back to bed.

He frowned as he stared at the curtains. As he fully knew, she was deep in the middle of whatever work she was doing and would probably be up for another hour. This meant that he had to chance closing the curtains to block her out so he could rest. He could only pray the alarm two meters away would be loud enough to wake him, though far enough that he wouldn't shut it off in his sleep.

He stared for what felt like forever. When he swayed a little as sleep tried to claim him, he finally reached up and closed them as well as he could. Slight darkness enveloped him and he easily felt his way to the now cold mattress. He mentally groused losing out all that warmth as the sheets stole his body heat to warm them back up. He huddled in the robe for a bit until the space around him was warm enough and then relaxed as sleep claimed him. All he could hope for was that he would be coherent enough for his eight o'clock class.

The initial, loose idea came from this music video. The lyrics also pretty much fit too, oddly enough.

Initial story inspiration: youtube com/watch?v=Yki3X1pG3ZE

sorbonne-university com/students/excellence/programs/

iscparis com/formations/bachelor/bachelor-specialisations/management-du-luxe/#

international iscparis com/mba/luxury-marketing/


	2. A new kind of catwalk

It was hard to be a model. Everyone thought that life was all fantastic photos with pouty lips, expensive clothes, and catwalks. That being a living doll was fun because everyone dressed you, did your hair, makeup, and made you look more beautiful than was expected in real life.

Being a model in college was a nightmare.

"Monsieur Agreste, I believe that is your father's secretary at the door for you..."

He startled and jerked his gaze to the door, eyes widening. The second they landed on that swath of red hair and expensive glasses, his eyes slowly closed. The pencil dropped into his textbook and he leaned back against his seat.

Seriously? NOW?

He knew it was better than to fight back. Even though he had been in class for barely half an hour, he was already being called out. He had to go be a part of his father's business when he would rather sit in class and learned the mechanics of running said business.

Instead of making things worse on everyone else, he gave something of a grimace mixed with an apologetic smile and grabbed his bag. He quickly shoved his things inside and stuffed the pencil behind an ear for now as he nodded to his teacher, meeting the educator's eyes. It did no good to say he was sorry for interrupting yet again because this wasn't the first time in the last week something like this had happened.

The teacher merely smiled back and told him to go by his syllabus for assignments and that they wouldn't get farther than the plan printed out for him at the beginning of the semester. With a quick nod, he shuffled to the door and gave Natalie a sour look. "Really? Right now?"

Natalie looked to her ever-present tablet and nodded. "Your father needs you for catwalk practice. He says this venue has to be the most complicated setup yet. Your attendance is detrimental to making sure all is finalized okay for the upcoming show."

A brow rose. That didn't sound like the highly structured person his father was. He wondered who in the company talked him into it for the show. While he would rather turn right back around and return to class, Natalie's words had his curiosity peeked.

With a small sigh, he nodded and she briskly turned on a heel and the pair headed for the car.

The second he got in, he found the tv screen on in the seat in front of him.

"Good morning father. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"The attitude is not welcome and you can get rid of the annoyance on your face, Adrien. You knew you were going to be needed more than ever until the show is over."

A leg nonchalantly crossed as the car headed into traffic. The world passed by through the corner of his vision, yet his gaze never left his father's on the screen. An arm utilized the door rest, fingers cradling his chin in a very model-like pose. The annoyance, as his father claimed, died down a bit as the car moved. "Is it so important to take me out of something that I'll be most likely using in the very near future for your benefit?"

"If you struggle with the concepts in the textbooks, Natalie will assist you in figuring out the few things you don't understand. At this time, you'll be needed all day until the line-up is fixed. I don't want any of these models screwing up the timing. Production seems to think that this runway will make everything more eye-catching. I'm not impressed by it so far and it seems more irritating and expensive than anything. They've assured me that once all the models are on the floor, the show will be a hit."

That was probably the most his father had given him in one sitting. Of course, it was about business.

Still, this mysterious runway he had yet to see was making him wish the car would hurry up a little more. "Pretty much all of your runways are traditional in style. How is this any different?"

Gabriel heaved a sigh and looked as put out as he usually did. "Production got together with graphics design and said this would put Gabriel on the cover of every magazine for the winter season. I've seen the catwalk and while it seems cutting edge, I'm not keeping it on the final design until I see everything in motion."

And this was why he was being pulled out of class so soon, without even getting the chance to learn anything in his textbooks.

He barely listened to his father speak of his needing to find a way to take care of any reading for today and tomorrow because he would be indisposed for the rest of the afternoon. He squelched a sigh and looked to the stone buildings and heavy traffic as they tried to get through a round-a-bout. There was hardly a moment to get caught up amidst this mess, let alone keep afloat. Good thing he was smarter than most.

The car finally slowed to a stop and grabbed his attention. The venue was plain and looked like any other building on the outside. Natalie silently led him in to a muted noise that steadily grew as they neared.

The mass amount of people walking around and working was always amazing. Not just the stylist crew, but the small village of models that were hired for the event. Every tall person in Paris and Italy had to be here. It was like nature took every woman and man in the area and stretched them on the DNA rack when puberty hit. Most of them were stereotypically skinny, prominent cheekbones, and intense eyes. Usually, no one would be smiling, but no one was in their production wear yet either.

He barely had time to set his bag to the side and greet a few of his fellow "co-workers" when a group of people with headsets attached to their ears started directing everyone here and there. Female models were ushered off to one side, males mostly in the other. The sea of beautiful, natural faces with anything they had on for the day started mobilizing good-naturedly, chattering happily as they did so.

This was probably the best part of the whole experience. After countless hours of standing around, letting people put pins dangerously close to his skin, and doing short walks, everyone was ready to give their all on some avant garde runway. No one was made up, but this wasn't The Night yet. It was just to get the timing down as he was aware.

He was thankful that he didn't have to be put in his winter wear yet. The loafers were always so highly uncomfortable and tight around his feet. Whoever thought that the everyday person should get a crowbar out to put their shoes on was insane and dumb. Even if he wasn't wearing the outfit to be presented to magazines, he was still clad in Gabriel wear from head to foot. He still easily outshone most of the model populace without even trying, though it usually wasn't his intention to do so.

"Monsieur Agreste, over here please. You're in this spot."

He was shuffled into a small space next to a few other male models. He gave them a jovial greeting, which was returned with the same, slightly bored enthusiasm. Small talk was barely managed as all the models were put into the order as they were to head out onto the stage, and then the front of the line started walking.

He was sad that he wasn't first out because this wasn't a usual setup for his father's shows. Usually the female and male lines were separate. This time the ladies were all set up first with the men walking immediately afterward. He was betting that whoever redesigned the catwalk, also clumped everyone together. He was in the middle of wracked his brain at who was responsible for this, but it shut down when he finally saw it.

If he were to give an honest answer, he would have to admit that the design was seriously out there...but in a good way. He'd been on a lot of catwalks over the decade alone, but this was probably the most ingenious setup he'd ever seen.

Without being in the scaffolding to get a good picture below, what he could see around the chairs was something of a trident. Except, the runway was circular, save for the main line down the center. And it was all on the floor; making it more challenging for the attending populace to get good photos of everyone.

His eyes drifted up to the lights, finding them in the same design as the floor. Circles and lines made up the whole thing and he gave an amused snort.

This should prove to be an interesting day... At least he had on comfortable clothes for the trek.

The production crew moved everyone and tried to explain everything all at once. He could see the silver glint of his father's hair off in the corner, talking to someone he couldn't see due to the lighting. His attention snapped back when the crew started talking excessively loud, trying to get to the seventy or eighty people all at once.

The system the crew had worked out was fairly good. Everyone was given a number on a piece of paper and then directed to walk down to the ending point of the circle before rounding back to the initial entrance. The crew held signs with each number on it at the turn point in order to start everyone off. A fairly basic concept despite the design they were to work with.

The split was quite intricate and often times, models ended up stopping each other in order to get around each other. Of course, the crew was exasperated at this and one of them broke off from the chaos to the corner where his father was. He paid it no mind as the practice walk continued. Everyone was expected to do the walk as if the show were on, head off stage, get back in line, and then whip right back around to go back out again.

The whole thing felt like it went on forever so models could get their timing down. It was a simple setup, but it had to be more than perfect when the lights were down. One misstep and magazines would eat up the fumble in a heartbeat. Nothing could go wrong with this. He was well-aware of that as a model and the son of a multi-billion Euro business owner.

"Okay everyone! You need to get back to the main entrance right now. We're going to practice this with the music that was just picked out by Monsieur Agreste."

He paused amidst the group of black chairs and went with the rest of those to the starting line. After torturous minutes of lining up to the start, his father's voice came through the speakers.

"This is the song that will be played during the show. The beat is sufficient enough that everyone should be able to walk to it and not mess up. There will be no mistakes if everyone follows this simple beat. This song will be played for the next hour as you all practice getting the choreography down perfect. Anyone that missteps during a mere practice walk will fail during the show and you will be replaced."

Blunt, to the point, and harsh as usual.

The music came on without warning, loud and slower than he thought it would've been. The beat was possibly techno, as most were, but the beginning showed no indication that words would be used. The crew tried to yell above the music, talking into their headsets when all failed, and the volume was lowered a few decibels so such a thing could occur.

"This is too slow to walk to!"

"How does he think we're going to keep time to something like this?"

"Well, you'll be wearing three inch heels. Maybe it'll give your calves a break for once."

He listened to the group of girls that were quickly shushed and ushered out. He looked to those ahead of him try to get the new timing down, walking in sneakers and short pumps. A few of them were subtly snapping their fingers to get the rhythm down, making a more exaggerated hip swing with each step to account for the slower pace.

The song wasn't that long for what the show needed to be, but the ending was remixed very well with the intro. The keyboard was not that different than what he was used to during shows. The song itself felt very subdued, but there was something in the depths which he liked.

This might be a more amusing experience than most of the shows he'd been in.

01010

"I thought models weren't allowed food."

He looked up to the voice above, mouth full of sandwich. A brow rose as he made to swallow the remnants, eyes following the slender figure that plopped down in front of him at the edge of the table. After a second of making sure nothing flew out and embarrassed either of them, he sat back with an amused look. "And you are...?"

A tanned hand extended, pleasant smile on the soon-to-be known person's face. "The dj your father hired for the event."

He quickly utilized the napkin before shaking hands. "I'm sure you have more of a name other than 'dj', and I have a name other than 'Gabriel's son' Monsieur..."

"Lahiffe. Nino Lahiffe." Nino held up a hand before any other introductions could be uttered. "If you think you need to introduce yourself at this point in your life, you haven't seen enough magazines in Paris with your face on them, Adrien Agreste."

He returned the smile and shook hands, liking the immediate wit and reaction to his status. In fact, he suddenly realized that Nino didn't seemed phased in the slightest that there were multitudes of beautiful women sitting all around him, some of them appreciatively eying the rugged, haven't-shaved-in-two-days look he had going. "Well, you apparently have read plenty to not be bothered by being here."

Nino scoffed and openly looked at the girls who turned away when he met their eyes. A few peeked back and smiled, which he returned, but then looked away as if models weren't staring at him. "Trust me when I say I've got better in so many aspects." He leaned forward, as if sharing some grand secret. "My girlfriend's body blows all of these out of the water." He shared a quick wink and a grin. "Plus, she'd kick me in the balls if she knew I was getting hit on right now and there's no amount of repaying that kind of scorn."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I'll have to take your word on it." He mumbled, going back to his sandwich. Break was only for another ten minutes and then they had to get back to The Walk.

Nino sat back in the seat for a moment before clasping his fingers together and resting his chin on them. "Well...I hear you wanted to speak to me and here I am. What does a model of the well-to-do Agreste household want with a humble dj?"

He gave a less than impressed look and swallowed his sandwich. "I'd like a copy of the song you brought with you. It's nice."

Nino's head cocked to the side. "Hmm? That song? I'm sure you can find anything else in the entire world more amusing than that silly ol' thing."

The unamused look didn't leave. "I'd like for you to give me the artist name so I can find the album. I'm always into broadening my musical horizons."

Nino suddenly smirked and sat back again. "Well, that's easy. I already gave you the artist name and I take cash if you want me to burn you a disc."

He blinked, sandwich put back on the table. His mouth dropped open when the pieces came together in his brain and he stared at the entertained look meeting his gaze. "Wait...YOU made it?"

The outburst was loud enough to draw the previous girls' attention and lose his.

"YOU wrote that?! Cool!"

"Can you speed it up just a bit? We can't walk to that properly!"

"Can I have a copy too?"

"Me too."

"Me three!"

Nino held his hands up and shook off the audience he suddenly had. "Chill girls, chill. It's a simple thing to bring the tempo up a hair. I doubt your father will notice and I'd be happy to do so. I saw a few of you beauties struggling out there, so I'd be happy to help any way I can. A quick kiss is payment enough for a single. Although, for the entire album, I'm afraid I'll have to have cash payment."

Admiration and happy squeals broke out at the table, therefore bringing more eyes to the new person who didn't quite fit the physical structure of the packed break area. Many of the girls were more than happy to give a quick peck on the cheek for a copy of the single. Nino, in exchange, ended up with quite a few signatures so he "knew who to give a copy to".

He waited until most of the noise died down before giving a dry look across the way. "I thought you had a girlfriend whose body was way better than any of the ones here and would also kick your ass if she knew what was going on right now."

Nino gave a quick bark of laughter and sat forward, looking like he was having way too much fun, as was shown by the huge grin he had. "She'll also forgive me when I show off the gold I just got to a friend of hers, too. That'll score a few points back to my name."

The lack of details had him more than confused, but the intrigue had him captivated. Not to mention the fun, laid-back personality and normal person treatment he immediately got. Being in a place like this meant absolutely nothing to Nino; it was just a job like any other.

Nino Lahiffe, huh?

He didn't know all the details to this person, but something told him it would be entertaining to see what one conversation would be like. The best thing was, there were plenty of questions he had in order to figure out the puzzle as to how someone who looked like Nino got into his father's winter fashion show.

Initial runway walk song: ATB - Dark Flower, Fever Remix

Runway design inspiration: youtube com/watch?v=wq1YB6zdjUc


	3. Walking the line

After the semi-disaster the other day on the catwalk, he didn't even bother going to school. Instead of getting ejected from the middle of class again, he just sent his professors an email about what was going on and let them know he was going to be out for the same reason as yesterday. He knew for a fact that his father wouldn't be happy or impressed with that afternoon. Everyone was going to keep on doing the same thing again until it was perfect.

He had a feeling all the professors would be a lot more upset about his constant absence if he wasn't the son of a rich fashion designer who had promised third year interns the availability to enter Gabriel for the required time by the school. It was a fair trade for those in charge; they may have to handle his random attendance, but their students had access to the area, per his father's agreement, to compensate. Not to mention he was a walking textbook that they often times subtly referred when to in class.

The basic schedule hadn't changed since middle school. On days his father needed him, it was better to wake up at a fairly decent hour, get plenty of food in his system for the day, shower, and be ready by the time Natalie came knocking on his door. Seven a.m. wasn't really a decent hour, but it gave him more leisure time to have a slow breakfast and wake his brain up for the morning. At least this time, being an adult by legal standards, he was now mostly required to get to the venue by himself.

The place was already teeming with models at barely nine when he stepped foot inside. Freshly shaved, sharp-cut chins and long, straight hair moved around and amicably greeted him as he tried to get around the masses. He stashed his Gabriel bag in a corner out of the way of everyone and turned to see what was needed of him. Oddly enough, he spotted Nino in the middle of a group of headsets from production, pointing to something and looking like he was trying to explain something very important to them.

The sight was unconventional yet pleasant amongst the sea of every other pretty face. Nino still looked like a razor hadn't seen his face in a few days and this time, his hair looked slept on and left that way. As he neared, a glint of the lights caught the gel and told him it was purposely put that way.

He grinned and wondered if the plain t-shirt and jeans were also planned to make it look like he just rolled out of bed and came way too early for his liking. Was this supposed to portray an unkempt dj who was kept out past his stereotypical vampire, night hours?

Said person's eyes spotted him during their journey of darting around everyone. Nino perked up and waved a hand holding what looked like a cd case. "Hey Agreste! I fixed the problem with yesterday."

A brow rose as the small group of five parted to let him in. He nodded greetings to them and paid more attention to the random statement. "Exactly which problem did you fix?" He queried with a wry smile.

Nino smirked and held out the case. "All of them. Here's your copy by the way. I put the new song on there too because I figured you may want it as well."

He dumbly took the case and looked to a plain cover with two handwritten titles on the front: "Dark Flower, Fever Remix" and "Fantasya".

He looked up to ask about the song he probably hadn't heard yet, and most likely made by this person, when Nino's attention was drawn just left of his head. He watched a jovial smile light up Nino's face, a hand going to a strap he hadn't realized was over Nino's shoulder.

"Girls!" Nino happily declared, drawing a few of them to their conversation. "I've come with presents and good news."

This only directed more curious and bored models to his side, most of whom he promised to give the music too. They greeted him, which he jovially returned and slung the backpack off his shoulder to dig into.

"Okay now, I don't have the paper in front of me so I don't remember exactly whom I need to give these to, but I've got the songs loaded and I think I put names on the of the cds..." His eyes scanned the happy faces, mouth scrunching up in thought. "I don't believe this is all of you though. Who are we missing?"

He couldn't believe that the conversation had devolved so much and was slightly shocked that Nino had deviated so heavily from the original objective. He was also slightly amused that production was not looking happy with his change in attention, but merely looked to each other to find out who would speak first. This was the worst crew to delay because they were in charge of getting the show going.

The line got longer as cd cases were handed out. He let his enjoyment out only long enough to catch one of the disapproving looks his way and tried to wipe the smile off his face.

Finally, one of the five cleared her throat and decided enough was enough. "Monsieur Lahiffe, this is hardly the time or place to get into something like this! We have more important things to discuss and Monsieur Agreste to find. Ladies, please wait until break time for this."

Nino didn't even look from the female group he was addressing. "This may not be important for you, but this is part of my business and I'm almost done anyway." Dark eyes framed by thick, black glasses jotted down to the three cases in his hand. "Who are we missing?"

"Girls, please wait until later."

As strange and surreal as this whole thing was, he decided Nino getting fired for such strange behavior wasn't on the itinerary for the day. He quickly snatched the last three up, scanned the names, and turned to the small pack of girls. "I remember seeing these three when I got here. Go find them for me please and pass out the cd with Nino's compliments."

"Hey, there are two tracks. I thought we were only getting one."

"That, Mademoiselles, is the fixed song you will all be working with from here on out. I knew you would probably want that too, so I added it to the list."

There were queries about a second kiss for payment with immediate offers of such cheap fare, when Nino held his hands up with a slightly sheepish grin. "As much as I would be happy to take payment immediately, I will call this one on the house. Don't want my pretty lady to be sour with me should she find out what's been happening here."

A few downtrodden looks appeared at the mention of someone in Nino's life, but the girls quickly exited with one more insistent direction from production. Nino turned back to the group as if the whole thing hadn't transpired, shouldering his pack nonchalantly. "So...where's the owner of this place that I must talk to? I spent way too many hours last night going through my music more than I ever have outside a club and I don't want to waste all that hard work on his behalf."

Production mentioned where Gabriel would be and he went along mainly because there was nothing else he had to do until The Walk. This was probably the most interesting thing he had to watch and he wasn't going to miss some fun. After seeing how Nino handled the higher ups, he was fairly curious to see how Nino would handle someone like his father. Apparently, the pair were already together when Gabriel picked out the initial song no one liked walking to and he had been slightly curious about that since yesterday.

"Monsieur Agreste. Monsiuer Lahiffe wanted to speak to you about the musical setup for the performance."

Gabriel's gaze turned from the other, small group he had been talking to and landed on their approaching one. Hands clasped behind his back, not looking pleased that there were changes into something he had personally seen to. Adrien knew very well all of the details needed in putting together one catwalk that barely lasted half an hour and that his father wasn't finding this change in plans something he needed to be dealing with right now.

Gabriel locked eyes with Nino, not paying him or most of the production crew any mind. "I do believe that we picked out the song to be used during the event and I don't see the need to change it to something else."

Nino smiled congenially, either not sensing doom or choosing to ignore it. "That's why I already did the work for you, Monsieur. All you need to do is put it in practice to see how well this adjustment will fit your show."

One of Gabriel's brows ticked, his interest slightly peaked. Adrien knew that Nino's words were well-formed to the point of catching the man's curiosity at how someone barely related to his job could do something for all of them without consultation. His heart thundered just a little faster at seeing how his father planned to handle it. The cold plastic of the case abruptly became known to him as he mentally wondered at the song Nino had chosen which would suddenly make everything run as Gabriel wanted it to.

"How do you even know what I need for my show anyway? You're just a dj; hanging around the break room with a bunch of models isn't enough knowledge to know how such an important event will go."

He spied a look at Nino and saw something of a demeanor change. He blinked and quickly eyed Nino's face and shoulders. They molded into something more professional looking and the happy smile lowered a few degrees.

"Well, yesterday when we were off in the corner with the song, I had the opportunity to check in on the timing of the models' walking in concordance to the beat. Since most average people walk around three to five miles per hour, that can clock in at an average of a hundred and twenty to a hundred and forty steps per minute...taking into consideration the leg distance of the stride and height of the person. I checked on my metronome what the count on the original song was and did the math; your models simply weren't able to walk fast enough to the music you had picked out. Last night, I went through all of the songs I had which were a few notches above what the first song was, tracked myself in my own living room, and found that you want everyone at about one hundred and forty to one hundred and fifty...depending on how well those girls deal with heels at that speed, I guess."

The scientific and mathematical calculations of figuring out the tempo to a simple walk, one that you could easily time to a beat, had him flabbergasted. The fact that there was even one to begin with made him want to shake his head as to why it even needed to exist. It bemused him as much as it did render him speechless.

He tore his eyes away from Nino when he finished speaking to check his father for a reaction. After something like that, it was clear that Nino was no mere dj and had some kind of training or experience to back up his musical skills. Aside from having made it, the puzzle that was this disheveled looking person who didn't look to belong here had him more and more curious.

Perhaps this would be a more interesting show than he initially figured.

Gabriel cleared his throat after a moment's silence. "Regardless of how my models can handle the shoes that were made for them is not your concern. They have one try to get this down as I expect them to. There's been too much time wasted already and the show is almost upon us; I don't have any more time to be playing around with such precious moments."

Nino smiled and nodded. "One try is more than enough. Just let me give production a rundown of the new song and perhaps a little advice. I'll be out of your hair, Monsieur, and you won't have to worry about a thing after this."

Gabriel took those words as the closure to their short conversation and the pair turned from each other. He watched Nino reach for his bag again and grab another cd case, starting in on more talk concerning rhythm and the catwalk setup. He listened with half an ear, feeling like he didn't belong in either group, but hanging out in the original one he flocked to. It wasn't a specifically good feeling in this second, but one he was slightly familiar with.

"Adrien, go back with the rest of the models and get in line. Practice is going to start soon and you're needed there."

His father's voice jolted him from his stupor and he idly nodded the man's way. One person split from production at those words and he went with her, assuming that she was in charge of the line for today. He left both groups to their responsibilities as he was ushered into yesterday's line along with everyone else. The lady explained some of the changes he had heard from Nino and he watched the crew walk around more than he listened.

How different could this be?

The lights were turned off as if the show were on and the seats filled. It was just like yesterday with everyone standing with their numbers in their hands and various parts of the crew in the spots everyone would rotate at.

The song came on with the beat going immediately. It was very stereotypical of any club and he wondered how his father would allow such type of music to match his new catwalk. The beat only lasted a few seconds before the accompanying melody came in and the first model went out.

It was crisp, it was steady, it was easy to read. Every footfall landed in concordance with the beat as if he were making it. Even when yet another layer was added to the base beat, his ear didn't miss it and get lost. The tempo was so much faster than yesterday and the style of walking was radically adjusted. Strides were longer, more brisk, and there was a bounce there which didn't exist yesterday.

The lights were down amongst the chairs and all he could see was the road he was traveling. He didn't stop and look to the non-existent audience as most shows would have him do. He merely traveled the curve set ahead for him and as he did so, he had to admit that Nino was right...he did fix all the problems.

The walk went exactly as the real show would. The lights went on, the models went out and turned at their assigned spot. Everyone criss-crossed each other without one bumping into the other and headed back up to the main entrance. Even when there was a section where the initial beat disappeared, no one stepped out of time.

The whole line went back out once the individuals were done and walked the final lap in groups. When the last person was through and the "show" done with, the song finished the female's voice and was cut off before the song could loop again.

There was a beat of silence before a few murmurs broke out.

The lights went back to normal and there was a pause of total silence, whether in shock or approval he didn't know. He only started clapping when five other models started doing so. The entire group of pretty faces broke out into smiles and approving nods, hands meeting in enthusiasm to one person who was only hired to play music.

'Sometimes, the most random of people can help a job well done...' He mused.

"That is exactly how the show is going to go and there will be no more practice on the subject. Remember your rotation point. That is all."

He grinned at the silent acquiescence in his father's sudden words. Production swooped down and took charge of the line before it got too off-track and started moving everyone to some other part of the show which had been neglected for The Walk.

01010

He caught Nino before he had the ability to leave for lunch. His initial invitation of eating together broke out around others at a nearby table, who patted spots near them and added to his own words that they have a friendly chat.

Nino smiled and shrugged. "I was just going to head out for lunch, but seeing as this is free, maybe I should just take the offer."

He chuckled in amusement and directed Nino to the table. After watching the youth pile his plate fairly high, they walked back to the original spot and squeezed in together.

"That song is pretty cool! Thanks for adding it our cds."

"Are you SURE you don't want payment for that second track?"

"I'm sure I can find it in me somewhere to pay you if you really need it..."

Nino was enjoying this way too much as was seen by the look on his face. "I accept all of your compliments and take them to heart, my beautiful ladies. I was just doing my job."

"I think you almost got yourself fired for 'just doing your job'." He quipped.

Nino grinned and leaned over his plate. "Although I made those songs, music should fit the individual or the situation and I couldn't let myself leave the first track as the mark on this show. Your father has no taste in music, as I quickly figured out from his rifling through my playlist, and he should leave the selection to production or your graphics design team in the future."

He snorted around his food and tried to keep from inhaling it wrong. He forcefully focused on eating for a few seconds, though he couldn't get his amusement off his face.

"So...what was with the woman's voice? It seemed kind of boring."

"I thought it was kind of nice. A whole ethereal feel."

Nino looked to the question and smiled. He sat back and waved a fork in the air. "That? Ah...I asked my friend to sing for me, but she refused unless it was something that wouldn't implicate her or point her out in any way. She has such a pretty voice, but she's kind of shy sometimes and that's all I could get her to do. I think it's kind of nice and it helped the loop."

Talk immediately devolved to prying into Nino's musical abilities and a sleuth of questions were thrown at him as to the songs he made. Most were from his sudden fans who wanted to know if his cds were on the shelf for immediate purchase, for Euros this time instead of mere kisses.

He listened to Nino easily give out details on how many years he'd been recording, the prestigious university he went to in order to figure out how to make it, the music shop he worked in that agreed to carry his cds, and the lessons he taught at said shop. He watched Nino animatedly describe the few clubs he worked at on certain nights and the beats he made for the place...even handing out a few business cards of the clubs and the music store.

Despite it all revolving around one thing, he was slightly amazed that Nino was able to do so many different things with one topic. The fact that Nino went to Sorbonne University, the one he was originally interested in going to, got his attention just a little more. He listened more than he ate, though not needing to ask too many questions with the others picking up the slack for him.

"I'm planning on owning my own club hopefully in the next few years." Nino went on. "I want to check out as many layouts as possible as I can in the meantime because I want to know how to get the setup right for maximizing the echo and absorption of the noise for outside."

The conversation and the questions flowed so much that most of the food was left forgotten until there was a five minute warning for all to get finished up. Everyone snapped to with apologies and lamentations. Nino merely smiled them off and went back to his own food which had hardly been touched.

When the crew of models were snatched up and ushered off to one other unfinished aspect of the show, he finally used the few precious seconds of quiet that he had. "Where are you off to now?"

Nino looked up and met his eyes as he finished the last bite. "I've got to get back to the shop and get a few piano lessons done. Don't want the Madames mad at me because I made their little kids wait."

Teeth bit his lip for a second and hesitation set in as the pair stood to throw now empty plates into the trash. "Do...do you think you'll come back around to see how the show goes?"

Nino tossed his plate in the trashcan before looking his way. A soft smile resided in his eyes. "I've seen all I need to see, but I think I can look you up whenever either of us have free time."

A smile formed before he could think of his actions. "After the show is done, I'm pretty much just focused on school until the next season of fashion comes out. There may be a few photo shoots at that time too."

"So busy..." Nino quipped, open hand sticking out in between them. "Well then Agreste, I think it's safe to say you can look me up if you want to because you'll have more time than I will."

He took the hand and shook it without indecision. A brow went up. "I highly doubt you're any busier than I am." He cracked. "How am I supposed to find you in a city the size of Paris?"

Nino smirked. "I put my email info on the back of the cd in case you wanted any more of my music." The smirk changed to an almost evil grin. "I did on all of them actually. Best way to get customers is to get them with a few singles."

He outright laughed and took a step back when Nino made to leave. "I'll check it out when all is said and done. See you later Nino."

"Later Adrien. Enjoy your walk of fame."

 _ATB: Dark Flower, Fever Remix - youtube com/watch?v=VrN9voyhM68_

 _Robert Miles: Fantasya - youtube com/watch?v=KYRR3eDColg_


	4. Dinner and double desserts

Despite the slightly antagonizing morning full of stuffy fashion overlords and their demands, the rest of the afternoon was much lighter and way more pleasant. He headed out from one job to the next at the music shop after Adrien saw him out. The shop wasn't as big as a modeling venue, but the atmosphere was a lot better. Dusty racks of records and cds, huge windows with natural lighting, and the occasional noise from the cash register.

Not to mention the piano he often played as a marketing ploy.

It was hard to act as uptight as that entire crew was when he was there. It made his shoulders ache and he was glad to be done with that gig. If it wasn't going to put his music out there and get even one reporter talking about the background music no one usually listened to, he would've never accepted the job. After the first few hours of dealing with Gabriel Agreste, he seriously questioned his own motives to fame.

He headed right for the piano after his stuff was dumped in the back room and pulled the lid open, seriously needing some quiet camaraderie. He didn't wait for his co-worker to open the main door so the music escaped outside before his fingers found random keys and started in. He ended up playing a few slow songs of other techno artists he admired and respected. One would effortlessly bleed into another after years of practice and a highly tuned ear, ending up with the songs he had made as was usual.

He didn't even bother to move when the sound of shoes slapped past the entryway. The occasional creaking of floorboards almost hesitantly, questionably, delved into a location the person probably had never visited before. He kept playing and only watched the tennis shoes stop at the corner of his vision. He pretended not to notice for a few more seconds before holding a key and looking up. "Like what you hear? I teach too, you know."

It was a teenager, only a few years younger than he was. Dressed down, though fashionably so, as were most in Paris. Nothing obvious stood out about her to give him a clue as to her likes or hobbies. Like most of his clients.

The girl shuffled forward and stopped at the edge of the baby grand piano which barely had its own space amongst the guitars and small drum sets in the rear of the store. He went back to playing for a moment, eyes on the slim hand that lightly touched black wood near the keys.

"I actually...kind of wanted to learn guitar, Monsieur..."

He smiled and took his fingers off the keys. Without a word, he went to the acoustics and shouldered the strap. He sat back on the piano bench and went through a few chords, mimicking the song he had just been playing. "Well, I'm also pretty good with the guitar too..."

Her lips twitched. "Actually, the electric."

He chuckled and shook his head. "So hard to please. One instrument is only a language for another."

Her smile widened, teeth threatening to show. "I don't have much money on me, but I do want a few basic lessons. We have class on some instruments, but I can never get some things just right. There's never enough time to get single help either."

From there the business aspect came out and the talk shifted. He idly plucked a few chords as they discussed schedules and free time. A quiet song came out, drawing in this girl who he was subtly impressing while he talked and played. He asked enough questions of whatever talent this potential student of his already possessed before deciding on thirty minute necessities twice a week. They hashed out the fee, to be paid to the store instead of him, and she shuffled back out with expressions of needing to be somewhere, but curiously drawn in by the piano.

As was usually the way he drew business.

"Another one bites the dust."

He looked up, hands still on the neck, and slowly waltzed over. The song turned cheesy and romantic, his sway with the instrument to appear as if he were serenading his co-worker with an electric guitar. "Thanks for opening the door for me." He replied, leaning his head on her shoulder. "I didn't want to lose the mojo by getting up."

His co-worker lightly shoved him off her shoulder, playful scowl on her face. Nothing was ever meant by his lack of intentions and they both knew it. Alya would kill him and then maim her if she ever knew it was serious.

Not that he ever intended on being serious with anyone else.

"When is your lunch?" He shifted topics, playing something slightly faster and more alternative as he headed to the wall in order to put the guitar back.

"The second you finish holstering that thing where it belongs." She replied, leaning against the counter.

"Then I suppose it's lunchtime for you, Mademoiselle." He answered, turning around with now empty hands. "Go have something yummy while I stay and guard our hard-earned Euros with my life."

He received a snort for his facade and soon was left alone to watch over the unbought, and slightly dusty, merchandise. The next hour was pretty quiet, save for a few phone calls and customers in need of new tunes. He didn't mind the few moments of peace; one must slow down a beat on occasion in order to start up something new soon.

Maybe an hour after his co-worker returned, a few familiar faces showed up. It was difficult to see them with the evening taking the sun away, and they were halfway into the shop before recognition hit. "My dear beauties!" He exclaimed, getting up from the piano he had been playing for the last few minutes. "It's so good to see your lovely faces brighten this shop."

"Was that you playing? I thought it was just a recording."

He bowed cordially and greeted the pair of models he had seen at the venue. "It was. I dabble in many aspects of music. How may this humble shop employee help you?"

He ignored the cracks from his co-worker from her duty of cleaning one of the shelves and smiled at the pair.

"I saw your info on the back of the cd and just wanted to see if you had anything else available."

He smiled in response. Subtle business tactics usually paid off if you baited the client just right.

"I have but a few pitiful cds of mine that I have made and the shop is graciously selling for me. I will show you the small shelf space they take up."

He ended up going into detail on certain beats and instruments which he used to create some of the songs. When asked if one of the models could listen to a few of the tracks "just to check some of them out", he strode over to the piano and opened the lid again. "Which song would you like me to play first? Bear in mind that not all of them are made on piano and will sound just a little different."

Upon a quick condition that he play the ones he actually used a piano for, he named off the cd and track name of each song he started in on. He gave a one minute intro of two best piano pieces before pausing to see if they would like any more.

When he caught the enamored, stunned looks on their faces, he tried to hide the knowing smile on his face as best as possible. Possibly all of his cds would head out the door to new homes today.

"Anything else you'd like to hear, Mademoiselles?" He asked, trying to get them out of their stupor.

One of them shook her head as if hardly hearing him and proceeded to get around her fellow model to get any cd bearing his name. The other one did the same and immediately headed to the register, hands in their expensive purses for their wallets.

He watched from the bench as they paid for everything and chatted about the rest of the songs he had recorded which they were eager to listen to. "Thank you for your patronage. Tell your friends!" He called out as they headed for the entryway. The pair barely waved him a goodbye before they were heading outside for wherever else they needed to be, eyes on the plastic cases.

"I don't know why you don't get into actual sales with methods like that."

He looked to his co-worker and grinned. He closed the lid on the piano and strode over. "Why would I get into a such boring line of work that most people already have when a life like this is so much more interesting?"

His co-worker gave him a deadpanned stare. "And penniless. Do you plan on living like this for the rest of your young adult life?"

He leaned on the counter with a knowing smile. "The first rule of any musician is to build your fan base. Sadly, as any musician knows, that takes a long time. I don't want to work a stereotypical job just to pay the few bills I have when I can start doing what I want to do now by finding students and dj'ing."

"Speaking of students, it looks like your next appointment is here."

He turned from the counter to find a teenager stride in. Casual wear, yet crisp in the appearance. Nothing stood out to show the type of music the girl favored, though he knew from experience she was into alternative music and the guitar. Eclectic tastes, carefully hidden by basic fashion.

Just like most of his clients.

01010

"Another long, fruitful day of making money and getting my name out." He mused through a stretch. Immediate silence echoed his comment with only the quiet noise of a nearby car passing by to respond after a second.

Divulging himself of his unneeded items, he tossed everything on the floor for now and turned for the tiny kitchen making up his closet of a studio apartment. Evening was already upon him and although he was done working for the day, he had another bout of chores to do before he was done. She would be here soon and food would be the first thing on her mind. She was snappy when hungry and he didn't want to start the evening off on a bad note.

He walked around the bar counter and grabbed a few items from the nearly indistinguishable kitchen. Random items that he knew she liked got thrown together, still smelling up the place with its delectable aroma by the time the entryway was opened.

"You didn't put in too much oregano this time, did you?"

He scoffed and turned the burner on low to give his attention to her. "Bonsoir to you too, Mademoiselle. I thought I'd make dinner for you since I knew you'd be hungry when you got here."

An arm suddenly went over his torso, chin taking up his other shoulder, as she gave a loud sniff. "Just right this time. You're learning."

He playfully bumped his head against hers, smiling as he did so. She chuckled back and knocked against him as well before letting go. "After all these years, I would hope I would." He turned to her fully, arms going around her waist as hers draped over his shoulders. "And you're still critiquing my cooking, as always."

She smirked, the thick lenses on her nose going up a little. "Would I be my mother's daughter if I did otherwise?"

"Perhaps this mother's daughter should do dessert then..." He mumbled, leaning down for a quick kiss.

She hummed against his mouth, lips twitching. "Dinner is before dessert, Monsieur.." She lowly mumbled, arms tightening just a little around his neck.

He pulled away with a full grin, though he tugged her closer. "You've had too good of a day. I wasn't talking about that...yet. I want a yogurt parfait."

She stared at him for a second before bursting out laughing in his face. "Parfaits it is then..." She managed, stepping back. She lightly swatted a shoulder before maneuvering around him to the tiny fridge in the corner. She got all of half a minute of pulling out ingredients before a pair of rough arms went around her, tugging her close.

A hand slowly brushed the hair out from in front of an ear. "Of course..." He lowly murmured, air brushing against her skin. "If you would like more than just parfaits later, I'm sure I could find room to accommodate extra dessert..."

He felt the shiver and the shift in her weight. His arms tightened over her ample chest, hearing the slight shudder in her breath as she lost the original response. In a second, he was lightly elbowed in the chest and pushed back. He let go and looked up to find her red faced and scowling down at him. He looked up with a jovial smile, knowing he had done the initial job.

A finger wagged in his face for a second before he caught the offending finger and kissed the back of her palm. "You're...incorrigible..." She mumbled, letting him kiss up the exposed part of her arm. He stopped at the sleeve and she used the grip he had to help him back up. She gave a playful, yet annoyed look and pushed him toward the stove. "If you burn dinner, there is neither dessert for you, Monsieur dj. Now finish up so I can do my job and then we can eat."

He gave a salute and somehow they both shifted in the small space to get food and plates ready. Soon, dinner sat on ceramic-ware in front of the bar stools, parfaits keeping cold on the little jut to the window nearby.

Light conversation of their day took up part of the quiet, only filled the rest of the way with clinking of utensils. He learned how annoying some of her classes were and she learned that he picked up yet another student.

"How many is that now? Six?" She muttered, giving him a raised brow.

He paused to do a mental count of his schedule not including the store work. "I think eight...? Maybe it's six... I think one is stopping for a short time due to school and bad grades, so I can't count on that one for the next week."

She hummed in response, eyes briefly toying with her food before taking a bite. "And the shop, plus that random modeling gig, then the overnight dj stuff...it's amazing you have time for me sometimes."

He grinned at the laced jealousy in her tone and leaned a little closer to her. "I always have time for you, my beauty." She said nothing, but smiled a response, telling him the comment was accepted.

He finally declared the place too quiet and grabbed one of the cds from his collection of music. He put the music on low, but it was barely thirty seconds in when there was a ghastly complaint from his audience.

"Ugh, please don't play any trance. Not at this time of night. Put some good music on."

He scoffed and turned in mock offense, though he knew she would have said something like that in the first place. "This IS good music and it's not trance; this can't classify as it. It's the techno variety and you'd do well to get your sub-genres memorized."

The look sent from her chair was totally unamused. "That's your job...literally, and I'll leave you to it. Now put in some R & B that I know you have on you."

He tsk'ed and gently put the disc back in the folder it had been resting in. "One day I'll turn you. Just you wait."

She chuckled and propped her head up on the counter-top. "Just do it already and get back up here."

He shot a slightly evil grin to the cd player. He turned the song to one he knew would do its job and set the volume loud enough to be heard, but not overbearing. The piano came on forte, but alluring. The accompanying clapping was enough to have her tapping a foot before the female singer started up. The singer started singing romantic and enticing words by the time he stood, not even able to make his way back to the chair.

Brown eyes behind thick lenses gave him a dry look, yet she had turned his way with an arm leaning back on the bar counter. Amused, sassy, quietly inviting. She said nothing as he stopped in front of her, staring down instead of sitting and resuming their meal. The look suddenly turned to a smirk, getting his lips twitching in response even as he leaned over her a little. "Not subtle at all, are you, Monsieur?"

His hands found the counter near her arm, holding his weight as he inched toward her just a little more. The rims of his glasses slipped mere millimeters down his nose, trying to get to her first before he could. "You said R & B." He murmured, watching her smirk drop as the seconds ticked by. He watched her lids droop mere degrees as he closed the distance. "I just did as you requested." His breath fanned her face, getting ever closer. Slowly, but surely. "You didn't say which song."

Her arms lashed out around his neck and pulled him down for a blazing kiss. She stole his ability to breathe for a moment before letting go and giving him air. "Dinner...is going to get cold..." She panted, brushing against his stubble with her chin. "You know how I hate it reheated..."

His hands drifted over her chin, lightly gripping smooth skin. "Maybe we can just have parfaits as a second dessert if we want real food."

"That's...if you're still hungry...for food...later." She mumbled, teeth going for his ear.

She kept him from saying anything else as she stole the air from him again, legs around his waist accompanying her mouth against his. His arms immediately helped support her, simultaneously tugging her to him and moving backwards at the same time. He stopped when his calves hit the back of his bed and mentally cursed not having pulled it apart for full use earlier.

Oh well. It wouldn't be the first time if such a thing didn't happen.

His weight settled on top of her, every nerve feeling all of her. "It sounds like I'll get my fill in then..." He murmured, face in her chest.

The only answer she gave were the sounds of pleasure at him finding all her spots with ease.

 _Music shop: media tumblr com/tumblr_m2xo16l1Ts1r1vqqvo1_500 jpg_

 _ATB: Trilogie part two_

 _ATB: Farenheit 451_

 _Nino apartment: parisattitude com/rent-apartment/gare-de-l-est-gare-du-nord,apartment,studio,5430 aspx_

 _Sade, I couldn't love you more: youtube com/watch?v=G0G53hJ8Rjs_


	5. Night time dj life

She stayed with him until a shower and quick power nap were needed. He held her close for as long as possible and his phone alarm beckoned him away from her.

Nine o'clock. The youthful, nighttime life awaited.

They parted outside the main entrance to his complex, her to her family's house and him to work. She let him go with a few searing kisses that almost made him march right back upstairs to the tiny room he considered home. He finally pulled away with wishes and curses at her leaving, which she responded with promises to see him once her classes gave her time to stop by like earlier.

With a heavy few steps, he turned away, hearing her heels clack on the sidewalk in the direction he wasn't going. His ears idly kept track of her movements until he was too far away to notice anymore and finally paid full attention to his surroundings.

It was only a few blocks away from his apartment, as he had planned it. One of the reasons he moved where he did was so he didn't have to have transportation other than his own two legs. It saved on costs and was another way he got to do what he wanted. He wasn't very appreciative of such a small space because she wasn't able to live with him, let alone do much around the full-sized keyboard he had stashed in the corner. But, the cost was less than most even if the space was a pittance. Still, he was only one person and living near the club was nice because he could do such things with her like cuddle and save time on a short distance.

He pushed open a rather boring looking glass door and nodded a greeting to the instant crew ready to take fare. Though the club was open, entrance was easy and fairly quiet. The place opened at nine and was droll for an hour or two until the night life beckoned. After that, it remained packed until three with the last stragglers heading out shortly after.

He somehow got to leave without needing to clean up too much, managing only a few good hours of sleep before heading to the music store around nine for his first round of lessons and regular employee duties. On occasion, he would be annoyed at getting such lack of sleep, but he caught up when his lessons didn't start until ten or noon and allowed his youthful vigor to refill itself for the next few days of madness.

He headed to the counter and greeted the bartenders for the evening, also grabbing an extra case of cds he kept at the club for normal use. An employee handed over the bulky item and he headed to the other side of the fairly large dance floor. A few people who didn't plan on dancing yet were taking up residence at tables lining the walls, drinks littering the tabletops. There was a less than ear-shattering song playing some random techno beat by someone who had set up his cds for the few early arrivals.

Time to get things set up and going then.

He headed into a small booth with enough space for a few laptops, himself, and a bar chair. The noise cut down even further in the soundproof room the second the door clicked shut, allowing his ears to be safe once he got things going and the volume raised a few decibels. A pair of well-used headphones that he'd used since middle school went over his ears for proper music selection. A second later, the music program he used for the evening was booted up.

He listened to the tune that was playing on a different music program someone had started and tracked the time left on the song. He unzipped the cd case and quickly rifled through a few, trying to pick the mix that he wanted first. One immediately went into the laptop for use as "Children" wound down and needed proper blending into the other. With maybe thirty seconds of decrescendo left, he selected the first track as the song ended quickly and started up a different artist.

The next song quietly played as the singer burst through the speakers. The whole thing was quick and highly catchy. The words themselves spoke of getting on the dance floor and doing what everyone came to do. A few were stolen away from their chairs to do as the singer demanded: dress like never before and move onto the dance floor.

He played a few more songs by the same artist. He crafted the beats, endings, and intros so that one would flow into the other and no one song would be too choppy unless it was to set the stage for the next one.

It was probably year three at the university when he stopped seeing songs as mere means of entertainment. They were now a mass of beats, instruments, and a different type of art. Tempo was just a mix of numbers and rhythm to play with. The playlists he had created months ago upon first working here were adjusted and honed, now so well-done that all he needed to do when he wasn't around was give a cd to the staff, let them put it in, and press play. The only reason he had so many was because new music kept coming out or he made small snippets and put them in with the other artists.

Maybe three hours into his work, he started a long techno song and headed out into the noise. The beat assaulted his eardrums, even through the headphones he had on. He left them on despite how they may have looked and headed to the bar for some water. He grabbed a bottle from the employee without paying, one of the "perks" of working there, and leaned against the counter as he checked out his handy work.

Though it was the end of October and the chill was upon them, many Parisian women were not clad for it, choosing heels and dresses meant for much warmer weather. He was assuming that their coats and extra wear were loitering around the tables lining the wall. The length of their dresses, or lack thereof, had his eye a few times when some of the more noticeably inebriated ones shimmied a little too low to the ground for the slit they had picked out. He almost caught a glimpse of lace, if there even was any, and allowed himself a second indulgence before mentally chastising himself and heading back to the room. He could see all this from the booth at any rate.

Though it was just a job he played music at, he took it a little more serious than he probably needed to. Djs were in charge of making sure everyone had a good time and with help from his music classes, he had the ability to make each night into one long, very intricate set of songs that didn't stop one's ability of getting lost in them. The way he crafted the intros and endings didn't make one pause because the flow was there. The techno, R & B, and trance genres could be blended effortlessly for five hours at a time because of his knowledge. Even the use of French, German, English, and Italian didn't deter him. If the song itself was good, the listener would have no trouble adjusting to the words. Given that most people knew some of those languages anyway, it meant nothing to them.

Not to mention that if they liked his music, they'd come back more and he'd keep making money.

The only way he could tell the hours passing was by a little clock the size of his thumbnail in the corner of his laptop. Any time he'd happen to glance at it, thirty minutes or an entire hour would have slipped away. Before he knew it, three o'clock was upon him and it was already time to go. He slipped in a programmed cd for the last few minutes for the crew to shut off when all the others were gone, and grabbed the few, empty water bottles for the recycle bin.

Another minute later, he was shuffling out with other groups of people, some who were giving him compliments for the music he played. As usual, he handed over a few cards he kept on him with the shop's info where some of the music he used could be bought if they wanted the whole cd.

His cds included.

Moments later, he was back in his apartment, darkness everywhere, save for the streetlights below coming in through the open windows. He tossed everything on the kitchen counter to deal with later and left all clothing on the floor to be kicked around in the morning.

A hot shower to rinse off the cigarette smoke and outside cold was nice. He tried not to extend his water bill that much and regretted yet again that the room was too small for a tub to soak in. After a quick dry off, he snagged a robe from the hook on the wall and shuffled from the steam on bare feet. The floorboards were cold and he huddled under the thick cotton a little more until his fleece pajamas were on.

The best thing about renting a room this small was the fact that it was easy to heat. One little space heater could take care of the entire thing...which was great because there was nothing else for him. The windows may have been updated, but glass was still glass and the winter got in.

The worst thing about having a place this small was she wasn't around to cuddle with and stay warm under a set of covers together. A pleasure like that was far and few between.

He stared at the muted darkness, lights trying to splash across his ceiling. Those streetlights wouldn't shut off, but that was why he had black curtains in the first place. He pulled them and the beige set closed, tuning out the soon-to-be morning, though it wasn't four yet. He pushed the coffee table aside with ease and grabbed the couch to pull out to his bed. The blanket and comforter set were still haphazardly made under the cushions. He wasted no time getting in the cold bed, grimacing as he did so, and buried himself under the blankets.

There were a few muted, outside noises trying to get in past glass and curtains, but otherwise, the world tried to sleep as best it could for the dawn wanting to show up soon. The heater did its job and he relaxed as the room soon warmed up and warmed him up. He stared at the cracks of light still stealing their way in, mentally tracking his day in a few hours.

Try to wake up. Quick breakfast. Shuffle into some clothes. Head to the music shop by nine. A few lessons spread out around regular store work, and an hour lunch. Done by three. Head back and crash for a few hours. Get back up and hope that Alya would show up so they could go get or make dinner.

He'd worry about the day after tomorrow when it was closer to showing up.

It was a constantly shifting schedule. One day was different from the other and his free time was never during the same hours on any given day. He didn't think he would trade it for something more stable and secure though. There was an aspect of fun and adventure in doing what he was currently doing and that made him come back again and again. Sometimes he'd need a little time off to get more sleep or food, but then he returned.

He knew since high school that the beginning life of a musician was never easy. He had read books on many bands in different countries and how they got started. The most famous ones practiced for years with instruments bought from stores just like his using any empty place they could find. Talking with a few professors had him momentarily questioning his life choices, but he knew since middle school what he wanted to do. Since entering Sorbonne University, he had been planning out the roads he needed to take. None of them were easy or short, but they were interesting and many of them, like the music shop, would lead him to the new roads he needed, but couldn't get to without help.

The university degree got him the necessary information to be able to create music. That skill got him hired at the music shop, which agreed to sell his cds, so long as he taught classes there for them to get customers in the doors. Getting his business cards spread out to those few households got word-of-mouth in his favor for the music he made. Random, odd jobs like dj'ing and the model venue fell in his lap via the store owner, who knew people in certain circles which he wouldn't be able to reach for a few more years. That gave him the opportunity to play his music and experiment with it in ways he usually didn't get to in the music shop or when making his own. Fiddling with various tracks started up his imagination and led to the creation of new songs, which he could eventually sell.

Even though he was just out of college, he had been working with music for so long that it was normal for him to do what he was doing. There was no nervousness, no bashfulness in his many lines of work. He knew he had what it took to be who he wanted to be; now he just needed to put in the work to get to the top of the music ladder.

He wanted to be like a famous dj he admired, one who held concerts while spinning records for thousands around the world and created his own music for sale to all.

It was that one stop in Germany he made during a high school vacation. One random show, one peaked interest was all it took for him to find what he wished to be. He didn't want to be a rock star, but he didn't want to be just a dj for the rest of his life. That show and that artist had shown him exactly what he wanted.

That concert was amazing and awe-inspiring. There must have been thousands crammed together to hear one man with headphones and a massive dj setup play his songs for all. The venue he had been at was open for the season and it added to the atmosphere.

The emotional high he got, the fulfillment he found that night, threw the door to his future wide open. The first steps to get started out the door were the hardest, but they were the ones he was taking right now.

He wasn't doing too bad for the last three years of work he had been putting in. The degree was done, the music shop was going good, and the dj club work was also paying off in various ways. He had two cds out and they weren't doing horrible. He had a small fan base, mostly thanks to Alya's sister's handiwork with his web page, and sold his stuff online too. Maybe a dozen or so cds went out every month around all the other odd jobs he had. It was paying the rent, barely, but trains were hard to get started after all.

The proverbial track had been laid out and he was feeding the fuel for the engine to get going. It was taking as long as expected, but the theoretical train WAS moving.

He rolled over to one side and stared at the wall, trying not to think too far down the imaginary road. It would get him all riled up and then he'd lose out on even more sleep. Dreaming of the future and all that he wanted to do often did such things to him and kept his mind from being bored. There were so many things he thought of experiencing because they could all lead back to what he planned for himself. Even if they didn't, it could still be fun nonetheless.

With a sigh, he finally threw the blankets off and headed for the dresser housing his computer and tv. He rifled around until finding a cool bottle. He opened the lid and took a quick swig of whiskey to help knock him out. The liquid burned all the way down his throat, but on an empty stomach like his, the effects took hold seconds later. He double-checked the alarm so that he couldn't oversleep and buried himself under the covers again for the rest of the evening.

 _Club inspiration:_ _vp cdn cityvoterinc com/GetImage ashx?img=00/00/00/26/80/71/268071-346653 jpg &w=220&sq=1&cb=0_

 _ _Club inspiration:_ i ytimg com/vi/Zx_3n48k0wI/maxresdefault jpg_

 _Robert Miles_ _:_ _Children -_ _/watch?v=CC5ca6Hsb2Q_

 _Maitre Gims: Sap_ _és_ _Comme_ _Jamais -_ _/watch?v=4bPGxLxogvw_


	6. Getting homework done

After spending a fun evening with Nino, it was always hard to go back to what she considered normalcy. Being with him was amusing and exciting and always changing. His life was so different from hers in so many ways that it felt like diving into a good book she didn't want to put down. That impish grin of his made her smile and although his job prospects were small right now, he had big goals that she admired him for. They mirrored her own in ways, even if the means were different, and it was another reason they got along so well...although there were times she mentally wished he'd take more of a break with her when her own schedule managed to clear up a little. She missed him greatly and wanted to be mad at him for being so far away for so many days. The only reason she wasn't was because she was fairly busy herself.

While her current situation was something she agreed to undertake, it was sometimes troublesome when she'd rather be out there in the field getting real-life experience instead of sitting in a hard chair for hours on end. The glamor and flash of bright lights, the papers in her hand were calling to her...but, a deal was a deal and she wasn't going to go back on her word after an entire year of study. The means were in her favor, so long as she just paid for her own classes. Room and board were taken care of per her gracious family, her mother specifically, and she would spend a few hours a week under her mother to earn the necessary funds to pay for school. Her mother in turn got someone she could boss around at work and do whatever she wanted.

Spending yet more time in class, listening to the professors go over whatever project or lesson design, occasionally had her mind wandering during the lecture. She gave the stereotypical bored pose: hand cradling her chin, eyes drifting away to the front of the room, pencil twirling in her fingers. She was slightly aware of some of the topics the professors covered, having such an interest in it for years. Hours of self-study since high school proved helpful to get into the journalism program, as did her bachelor's in "Communication, Journalism, Publishing, and Audiovisual studies".

Talking to Madame Chamack about her textbooks gave her great insight to the things she really needed to know more than others. Just being next to a person who was in the shoes she wished to walk in someday made her a little giddy and she sometimes worried she asked too many questions to the patient woman. At times, it was clear to tell that she had overstepped her eagerness and kept forcing herself to back off and save such queries for another time.

She exhaled as quietly as she could and sat back in the plastic chair, eyes on the professor. Her textbook sat in front of her on the desk, open to some page that threatened to close itself via the abused spine. After these classes, she had the afternoon free to get school out of the way and do whatever she wanted. Her next scheduled "part-time job" with her mother wasn't until two days from now; giving her time to get any projects and homework out of the way.

Dark brown eyes drifted slowly toward the fall windows, staring at a cloudless sky on a crisp, chilly day. The courtyard was below she knew, but after this she was apparently not going to be able to visit it. Her attention snapped back to the front of the white board, watching the professor outline the audiovisual project everyone was to record and turn in next week.

The pencil in her hand twisted to be used, rapidly taking notes in her own style as to what she needed to do. She made bullet points of the main agenda, then added her own words to what needed to be done.

Find an actual news program of any genre from social media.

Make a twist off it and create a spin-off news program.

Find facts to back up your show.

Don't forget to record the show you took it from as a sited source.

Her lips twitched, blood pumping just a little bit. Ideas spun in her head as she again tuned out the professor who engaged the small crowd of students to dissect ideas and give examples. So many possibilities she had to choose from...where to start first? What language did she want it in? Did she want to do a lighthearted program she had recently seen? Do a new story or a relatively old one?

As her head spun with all the questions she suddenly had, answers trying to form themselves all at once, she fast-forwarded just a bit to envision herself sitting in front of the camera in the recording studio owned by the university. She tried to picture just which suit she wanted to use during the recording, exactly how she would put her hair and hold her papers. Newscasters still used them, but sparingly and only as a vague guide for what they were already supposed to know. She was a pro at that; having done much for it in her middle school years and a few times in high school.

A sheet of paper was suddenly presented to her field of vision, jolting her back to the present as she blindly took it.

Eyes scanned it through thick glasses, finding times for the audiovisual room. Of course; even though cameras and recorders were everywhere in that thing, the room was one big area and only one person could actually do their reading in there at a time.

She looked through the available dates which hadn't been filled up, mentally scratching out times that conflicted with her other classes. The hours were only a few days away she saw. Thankfully, she was one of the luckier students who didn't really need to balance too much of a job with a lot of classes. This left a few slots to choose from and she quickly decided on one enough time in advance which would allow her to get a thorough job done before recording it.

A reporter still needed time to get the necessary facts together after all.

The rest of class was a wash as she concentrated more on the main ideas of her new assignment than the words her professor had to enlighten them with. Even when class ended and she automatically headed to her next one, it took a while for her to switch from one to the other.

The earlier thought of what to do with the rest of the day once all main things were done disappeared at the excitement that loomed before her. Her goal sharply in mind, she hurried to the computer lab after all classes were done. Phone in hand, she grabbed the stylus from its hidden spot on the side and tried to scribble notes as slowly as possible to allow the writing program to transform them to its typed design as she did so.

A news story a few months back about a basic robbery not too far from the Eiffel Tower that had yet to be solved. It was a basic story that everyone could take guesses at and probably get right. The scene was close enough for her to head down and take thoughts and notes from to create the initial story. She could take pictures of her own and add them to the recording...maybe even a few videos if necessary...

This was going to be good. She could already tell that her genius in this was paying off and this was going to be a noteworthy grade right now. Not that she had given anything less, but this was something she specifically enjoyed. This was what she was training for: taking something and running with it; making the story, getting the details, reporting it.

After two hours of finding a starting point and getting as far as she could sitting down, she finally gave up her seat to another student and headed for the cold. Her fluffy winter jacket quickly got zipped up, the autumn-colored scarf tightened just a little more.

She quickly looked to the sky, finding the sunset maybe halfway done and decided to send a quick text to her mother about her current situation and what she planned on doing before heading to the Tower for a bit. She got a response to not be late to dinner as she hurried over, already knowing that one didn't miss dinner at the Cesaire household with so many mouths to feed. If she wasn't in attendance, the meal that her mother spent so much precious time on for five people would get put away and she would have cold leftovers waiting her. Not that such a thing was an actual punishment, but her mother's cooking was too good to let go cold without enjoying hot first.

Backpack over one shoulder, purse in the crook of an arm, phone in one hand with the stylus in the other, she meandered around the base of the Tower and jotted down concepts as she looked around. She bumped into more than one tourist or Parisian in her scattered state, muttering apologies in whatever language she heard first as she scuttled away, cheeks red.

When the streetlights were on, she decided she had taxed her mother's patience long enough and regrettably turned from the "scene" with a sigh. She took the bus home to save time and hopped up stairs to the second story of the apartment that used to be a warehouse.

The second she opened the wooden door and the interior white walls peeked a greeting at her, the smells of dinner floated through her nose as if attacking her sense of smell. It went straight into her brain, making her mouth water instantly as she mentally tried to pick apart the ingredients with trained expertise.

"I didn't think you'd make it on time."

She finished opening the door to the sleek, tiny kitchen and found her mother turning away to put pans and plates on the table mere meters away.

She grinned and shut the door, hands momentarily putting her bags on the ground at her feet as she paused to hang up her coat and scarf on the hook by the door. "Of course I wouldn't miss your cooking for the world mama." She replied, eyes crinkled.

"Go put your things in your room and join us at the table please Alya."

"Yes papa." She mechanically answered, hands instantly lowering. Even if her father hadn't said to do so, as he always did, she would have done as he said from years of hearing the same thing. She nodded to her twin sister and younger sister as she rounded the table and passed through the living room for the stairs on the other side of the wall.

The door to the room she shared with her twin was cracked and she pushed it open with the bag before dropping everything on her bed for the time being. That done, she hopped back down the stairs and took her spot at the table, just as her mother settled into her spot as well.

"I thought you'd actually be late."

She eyed her younger sister, hearing the teasing tone, and subtly stuck her tongue out. It quickly snapped back into her mouth at the "timely" clearing of her father's throat, though his eyes weren't even on them as he reached for a ladle to fill his plate. The pair averted their gazes, adult ages not coming into play at the chastisement, as they reached for the plates in front of them.

Dinner was quaint, somewhat lively, chatty, and delicious. As always. Her mother queried the new assignment she was given and she gave the basics, knowing her mother's sense of details would help her round out what she hadn't thought of yet. Her twin piped in with thoughts of how she'd do on the actual recording, suggesting she get some of her friends to give "expert testimony" to give it more of an edge over her peers. It was all tucked in the back of her head for now as she enjoyed the time with her family.

She helped her father pick up the table, continuing on long enough as he started loading the dishwasher until she was able to escape for the duties she wanted to return to. She cloistered herself in her shared room for a short while, eventually joined by her twin. When the door opened, she was surrounded by her tablet, textbook, phone and stylus in her hand, and an extra pen near a notebook for notes she had taken previously.

"Don't you look like a hard worker..."

She stuck her tongue out, watching her twin shut the door.

"How far are you right now?"

She looked up to the slightly identical face, the glasses different and hair braided instead of loose as she usually kept hers. She didn't mind the intrusion to her concentration, since she often got good thoughts out of her twin.

She shuffled everything back to allow her mirror image to sit on the bed as well, grabbing her tablet and phone to let her twin read all she had created so far. Her sister pulled up the newscast of the robbery, checking to make sure nothing since then hadn't been created which she might have missed. Her sister went for her own slim phone, verifying with similar expertise answers which would make or break the spot she was at in this second.

Upon confirmation that the story hadn't been updated yet, the police not having found enough evidence for there to be a scoop, she and her sister started brainstorming the next thirty minutes with different angles to bring the story to. They jotted down notes on original motives of the burglar and ways the individual could be found; trying to create as valid of details as possible.

"The person stole the money and ran away on foot north of the Tower." She mumbled, chin in a palm. "Could he have maybe used that as a means to get to a nearby vehicle to escape in?"

"In Paris?" Her twin wryly asked. A well-manicured brow went up.

She shrugged, head ducking at the expression. "Yes. In Paris. How are the police going to be able to check every car and bus?" A nail tapped against her chin, eyes on her phone notes.

Conversation deviated to the escape, trying to picture it as clearly as possible and eventually using some of the brainstorming as the fake news report. They tried to figure out the reason to head that way; checking into shops along the immediate area of the escape to see if there was a connection the thief could hide in or escape through.

After another thirty minutes went by, her twin sat up with a sigh, head angling back for the ceiling. "Okay. My head hurts. I don't have quite the brain for this like you do and I'm bored."

She snorted, head shaking at she remained the only riveted one of them on her work. "Well, thanks for the help anyway. You know I appreciate it." Dark eyes looked up, brows going up. "Want me to help you with your web design?"

A hand waved in her face as the bed shifted. "Naw. I'll get it done downstairs later. I don't feel like it right now. Papa is going to watch his show and I thought I'd join him."

She gave a hum at the prospect of ditching the excitement for family time. Her head angled in thought before giving up. She flopped back on the bed, head meeting the pillow, eyes on her phone. "I may be down in a bit." She idly mumbled, fingers tapping through a few news apps. Her mind devolved into a different direction of "once the story was done" as she stared at both male and female newscasters.

"If you change your mind, we'll be downstairs like usual."

She muttered an acknowledgment as the bed dipped and was released. She vaguely heard the door squeak closed and was left alone with her international programs. Of looking at British reports, Italian reports and seeing how they sat, how they dressed. The way their hands were held, the angle of their head, the amount of times the person spoke and the types of words they were given to read. She listened to an English report on a soccer brawl and took mental notes on the adjectives used in the broadcast to maybe be used later.

Finally tiring of her passion, she closed down the app and sat up to quiet and lights. After a quick look around, deciding she wanted human company, she abandoned everything on the rumpled comforter. She stood and stretched, eyes landing on her phone when they opened.

"Expert testimony huh?" She recanted, lips scrunching up in thought. She had friends she may be able to cajole to help, so long as the "witness" didn't have to spend too much time recording her voice on camera.

Her lips twitched, turning to a wry grin as she imagined how much she would have to pester the poor woman into helping her. She was going to have to turn it right back around and mention all the times she was required to aid her friend in the many endeavors that needed her torso as a mannequin rack. That might just hit the right tone she needed. 'It's not like the vocal piece HAS to be used...' She thought, fingering her chin. 'Maybe if I tell her the odds of it getting used would be low until I know what I'll do.'

A text would be necessary to know for sure. As she was well aware, her friend kept odd hours and was best available when most were in bed. It was a given though, considering her "part-time job" around her own classes. The availability of getting the recording would be on her friend's hours. That was something else she needed to figure out how to do, should such a thing ever occur. That meant going out after dinner to the university dorms for a bit and possibly missing some time with Nino.

With a shake of her head, mentally closing everything down for the night, she went for the exit and pulled it open. The noise of the tv below and the chatter accompanying it rose to her ears and she hurried below to join it.

 _CELSA: youtube com/watch?v=GM3R0TbOTXc &feature=youtu be_

 _Alya's house: apartmenttherapy com/at-europe-paris-15-33978_


	7. Getting coffee before work

" _I_ _need_ _your_ _help_ _on_ _a_ _project_ _I'm_ _doing_ _for_ _school._ _"_

" _Is_ _this_ _going_ _to_ _have_ _to_ _do_ _with_ _my_ _physical_ _appearance?_ _You_ _know_ _I_ _don't_ _like_ _that_ _stuff_ _much._ _"_

" _You_ _don't_ _need_ _to_ _go_ _on_ _camera,_ _but...I_ _might_ _need_ _your_ _voice._ _Just_ _for_ _a_ _few_ _sentences_ _though!_ _"_

" _First_ _Nino,_ _now_ _you._ _Why_ _do_ _I_ _end_ _up_ _getting_ _recorded_ _so_ _much?_ _"_

" _Cause_ _you_ _have_ _a_ _nice_ _voice._ _Seriously_ _though,_ _it's_ _just_ _a_ _few_ _lines_ _and_ _I_ _need_ _a_ _'witness'_ _for_ _a_ _fake_ _news_ _program_ _I_ _need_ _to_ _record._ _Can_ _we_ _meet_ _up_ _and_ _I_ _can_ _give_ _you_ _more_ _info?_ _I'm_ _about_ _ready_ _to_ _head_ _into_ _class._ _"_

" _Same._ _I'm_ _free_ _at_ _two_ _this_ _afternoon,_ _but_ _then_ _I_ _really_ _need_ _to_ _get_ _those_ _international_ _orders_ _mailed_ _out_ _before_ _the_ _post_ _office_ _closes._ _Can_ _we_ _meet_ _for_ _coffee_ _then?_ _My_ _room_ _is_ _kind_ _of_ _messy_ _with_ _packing_ _materials_ _right_ _now._ _"_

" _I'll_ _buy_ _if_ _that_ _gets_ _you_ _to_ _agree_ _to_ _do_ _this..._ _"_

" _You_ _know_ _the_ _answer_ _to_ _that_ _one._ _Just_ _meet_ _me_ _at_ _Coutume_ _Cafe_ _around_ _four._ _"_

She checked her phone as the other hand simultaneously grabbed the metal bar to the glass door and pulled. The second the doorway parted for her, the smell of coffee and inside chatter greeted her. She took a deep breath to enjoy the smell, even as she dove into it, and let the chill stay outside as the door closed behind her.

The place was pretty packed for the afternoon, but that was normal. The narrow, white walls were full of college students, travelers needing a break, and retirees wanting a chat on a chilly day. Her eyes roamed through the masses, checking the two-seater and four-seater tables for the sole occupant she was here to meet. Her head whirled around a few times as she slowly headed in, giving a quick nod to the employee who greeted her as she neared the counter.

It took a moment or two, but that was mostly because the back of her head was in view. Just past the ordering counter in a low, two-seater table, was her friend.

With a confident clack of her boots on the tile below, she momentarily ignored the cashier and headed straight for the table. "You could've picked a place near the front on a day like today." She greeted, dropping her backpack near the empty chair.

Blue eyes darted up, a smile soon joining them. "It's too cold in the front. Plus, the servers can see me easier back here if I need a refill."

She snorted and sat down for a moment, eyes jerking down at the steaming cup in her friend's hand. A brow rose, arm propping her head up on the table. "Thanks for waiting for me, Marinette." She cracked.

Marinette merely smiled and picked up the coffee cup. "It's been a long day and it's going to continue." She mumbled around the liquid. "I need as much as I can for now to get me to the evening before I fall asleep."

She sat back in the chair, arms crossing. "When you mean evening, you mean crack of dawn, don't you?"

Marinette smirked. "Let's not go that far. I have class in the morning. Try one a.m."

She stood with a shake of her head and tried not to cringe at the thought of having once pulled those hours for her friend's benefit. "I'm going to grab something and be back." She replied, eyes on the black menu board against the wall. After getting a small Indonesian coffee, she watched the clerk make the hot drink and took it moments later.

Marinette barely gave her a chance to sip her drink before starting in. "I don't want more than two, maybe three sentences." She mumbled, face serious.

She sighed and shook her head, trying not to burn her fingers on ceramic. "It's not as big of a deal as you're making it out to be." She reached into her purse and grabbed her phone to open up the news story. She held it up, noting blue eyes intently watch the whole thing, head slightly turned to hear it over everything else.

When it was done, Marinette sat back and met her eyes. "So...how am I supposed to witness that?"

Her head shook, hand grabbing the stylus from her phone. She pulled up her notes, leaning forward on the small table to show them off. She went into the general idea she had formulated since the day and the various angles she was looking at. She tried to explain how she needed a simple voice recording that would be "eyewitness testimony" that the police found and the very little that actually needed to be said.

"I thought that maybe you could give a basic description of the thief or what happened at the scene." She finished, sitting back and going for her cup. "Something to the effect of you saw the news report and called the police with info." Marinette looked to her own cup and took hold of it in silence. She could tell that the gears were going on high as Marinette weighed everything and hoped this little bit she described would be enough to sway her friend.

After a fairly long drink, the cup was put back on the table. "Okay... I'll do it." Marinette muttered, chin going for her hand. "But I don't want to have to be privy to any more of these things for the rest of the semester, okay? I've got so much to do and not much time to get it all done in."

She smiled. "It's a few lines. Don't make such a big deal out of it."

"It is a big deal! I'm going to be recording my voice and it's going to affect your grade! How can I not stress out on something like that?"

"Don't worry about that. You'll do fine." Her hand snaked out across the way and lightly grabbed her friend's. She gave a quick squeeze, getting a smile in return. "I'll be with you if you need help on the recording, okay?"

A raven brow rose. "You plan on being with me that late in the evening?" Pink lips twitched. "Are you sure you can hack it?"

She sighed again, propping her chin up in her hand. "Are you planning on doing this when you're supposed to be sleeping? I think I'll have to forbid that."

Marinette grinned and went for the last bits of the coffee. "I'll keep it around midnight for you. Good?"

She stuck out her tongue and shook her head. "Get your homework done earlier girl. Seriously, stop pulling such odd hours."

Marinette ignored the look and shrugged. "I've got a business to run, you know that." Blue eyes looked to the menu, teeth nibbling her lip in decision on ordering another or not.

She stood at the look, knowing what her friend usually ordered. "I'll order it as payment for helping me with my homework."

Marinette was out of her seat in a second. "I don't need you to buy me another coffee." She quickly denied, going for the Euros in her back pocket. "I can get it myself."

She shot her friend a look when she was actually pushed a little out of the way. "Don't be so nit-picky about taking money from people...geez." Fingers reached out and flicked Marinette's forehead lightly.

Marinette swatted at the hands messing up her bangs and shook her head to settle her hair. "Maybe some day I will. But not today. Now go sit down and write my lines for me."

She smiled and gave up at that. No reason to argue anything further and damage the "in" she just got.

Leaving her friend for the order, she plopped back in the chair and grabbed the stylus. By the time Marinette came back, she had a few basic sentences scribbled out of various aspects depending on how she would give the report itself.

"I'm not saying all that!"

She sat back and moved the stylus away. "Relax already. I don't have your script down, let alone my own lines yet, so I was just thinking of as many aspects as I can get right now. I need to work on your part tonight and I can get them to you tomorrow for you to do. The project isn't due for a week and I just got it, so I've got time."

Marinette sighed, her shoulders relaxing. "Thank god...I thought you were going to make me do all that. I don't have enough time to get it right with all the other work I've got."

She snorted. "Don't be such a perfectionist." The stylus tapped on the table a few times before she saved the work for later revision. "I'll type out your stuff on my tablet and let you use it for the recording program I've got on there. All you need to do is say them and I'll play with some background noise to give it some credibility for 'on the scene' reporting...maybe. I haven't got that set up later."

Marinette snorted. "Sounds like you need a lot of help." A brow rose. "Want some?"

She smiled. "While I know that you're good to bounce ideas off of, I also know that your anal retentive way with details gets a little much at times." Sip. "It's my assignment and I want to do it. I'll give you the little I'm asking from you and not make you do more. Thanks for the offer though."

Marinette sat back with a grin, cup in her hands. "You know I don't mind. I like that kind of stuff, oddly enough. Nothing like a good puzzle."

"Yea, yea." She muttered, putting the extra things away. One hand cradled the cup, fingers going to push up her rims as she sat back. "So...how's the ordering going? Need any help with the website at all?"

"Haven't had any reported problems in a while. Your sister does good work." Blue eyes looked to the phone in her coat pocket real quick. "You have any more time to chat or do you need to get going? I have one more hour and then I need to check on any order updates."

She smirked. "Any homework scheduled in there?"

There was a sheepish cringe in response. "Maybe..."

"It sounds like you're going to be busier than I am tonight." She laughed. "I work for mom, but not until six when dinner is in full swing. We're good for a bit."

01010

It was always good to catch up with friends one hadn't seen for days. Especially when that friend was a college student and entrepreneur with her own business. It boggled her mind sometimes how Marinette managed to get any sleep with all that she did and it almost made her feel bad to ask for more of her friend's precious moments. But, she knew that Marinette wouldn't have agreed if she didn't think it could be fit into her schedule.

An already too-full schedule, but schedule nonetheless.

A pair of ornate glass doors slid open for her, a cordial voice bidding her an evening greeting. She nodded to the bellhop and strode inside, taking a hard turn at the front desk and waving to the front help as she passed into the employee hallway for the back. There was a quiet hum of conversation that permeated the area, created by well-dressed and rich individuals. One in particular she hoped wasn't around right now. She didn't need to hear any flack. She wanted part of her brain for work and the other on the lines she wanted to get done tonight.

She shrugged off her purse and backpack in a locker and grabbed the extra wear resting inside. After donning a white apron and packing her hair away in a quick bun, she headed away from the employee area and into an enormous kitchen.

The noises of chattering chefs and cooking food filled her ears almost to the point of being too loud. Everyone was talking at once, hurriedly moving around, hands moving as fast as possible to get whatever delicacy cooked as quickly as time would allow.

She stood in the corner of the room until she found her mother amidst the madness. She watched the woman flip food in a pan with ease, people moving around her, and waited for the right time to slip through the small crowd to get started. One did not step in front of a hurried chef with a hot pan after all. Once the second presented itself, she scurried past others and stopped at her mother's side.

With a smile, she gave a mock salute. "Reporting for duty, chief chef." She cracked.

Her mother smiled, eyes one the ladle. "I need five big pans washed in less than ten minutes. They haven't really been soaking long. Good luck."

Cringing a little, she tried to sigh too loudly as she nodded and turned for the sink. Doing dishes was essential, but she hated dishpan hands later. She was kind of hoping to do some server work or at least make a dish or two. But, the night was still young so who knew. Maybe she could work her way up and get away from the sponge.

Over the next two hours, she gravitated from dishwasher to front server to spice selector to waitress. There was nothing she was new to, though she did worry about one thing every time she was outside the hotel's kitchen.

Chloe Bourgeois.

It was a nice night when she could walk in, do what her mother wanted her to do, and then head home without seeing the annoying blond. Since the hotel had been Chloe's home for so many years, it was a given that they would meet at least once a week.

Once a month was better if she had a say.

Thankfully, Chloe's "high opinion" of things in her own home applied to the Cesaire cooking quality and thus Chloe often ate out on her father's money, but the tranquility was worth it. The few times she managed to get out of the back found Chloe nowhere nearby most of the dinner hours and she breathed a sigh of relief at that.

Once eight thirty rolled around, her mother bid her a goodbye and to head home for the evening to work on her homework before bed. She headed for the lockers to put her things away and grabbed her bags.

She tightened the coat around herself a little more when the cold air greeted her with a whoosh from the doors. Hands delved deep into the pockets for gloves as she started away from the extensive place, allowing her mother to finish up with the few remaining chefs.

Not even a block away from the place, her mind instantly switched to the assignment. Details she had made, questions of things she had yet to answer, and optional roads she had to keep in mind. By the time she was pushing the main entry door open, she was already formulating the initial words she wanted to say to start the broadcast.

She greeted her father and twin as she passed the living room for the stairs to her room. She was warned that her twin intended on heading to bed when the show was over and waved a hand in acknowledgment as she headed up.

The bag full of books, notebooks, and her tablet were littered about the bed. She grabbed the notepad and opened it to her other scribbles, also opening the original note app on her tablet. She grabbed the stylus on her phone and opened a note-taking app, eyes flying around all the info she had accumulated until now.

Extra info for possible music to consider, though it may be too late in the day to worry about that right now. Bullet points for the intro that she intended on saying. Rehashing some of the original info on the old broadcast to "remind" viewers what had already transpired with notes on when to include it. Spots on where to write in Marinette's part in the whole thing. A revision of the words she wanted Marinette to say. Times to keep it to and possible mention of commercials.

She was just looking at the words to give to Marinette when the door opened. She looked up and met brown eyes looking to the surrounding mess.

"I'm going to get ready for bed and shut the lights off when I'm actually going to sleep." Arms crossed. "You've been at it for forty-five minutes so far."

Her gaze jerked up to her sister's, eyes wide. "Really?! Well...maybe I'll do the same. I've got classes in the morning."

With a mumbled agreement from her sibling, she idly watched her sister pass for the closet and slowly gathered her things for their spot in her backpack. A yawn escaped, deeming it a done day for now.

 _Cafe: lefigaro fr/sortir-paris/2012/04/24/03013-20120424ARTFIG00527-coutume-cafe php_


	8. The life of a seamstress

There were three empty shipping boxes all set up and awaiting their contents which were either in pieces on the bed or hanging around on an armless mannequin's torso. A fairly complex-looking sewing machine sat on the corner of the desk, as if trying to find space amongst the boxes, lamp, small case holding accessories, backpack, and a purse. Even though there was so much on one flat piece of wood, everything was well arranged for easy access and left in its case until needing to be used.

The room was mostly silent; the sewing machine not in use at the moment. As much as it was normally run, and as much as it probably should be moving in that second, it was taking an odd break for something more important.

Alya was coming over and she had absolutely no place to house her friend.

The bed was full of bolts of cloth that were either folded up or half undone and full of pins. She rolled up each one with care and looked around the packed room for a place to put them for now. Blue eyes scanned every nook and storage space, but they were all full with her own things or stuff to work on later. The huge amount of cotton ended up taking up what little space was left on her desk.

"Well...it's not like I could use it for the recording anyway..." She mumbled, fingering her chin with a cringe. Blue eyes took in every inch the wood tried to show, seeing nothing she could use without making a huge mess out of the place.

Despite how unkempt it looked to others, her dorm was an organized mess and she knew where everything was for easy use.

Bed now empty, she plopped on it and looked around, a nail tapping her knee. The chair could be made available, but there was no point in using it because the bolts were resting over the backrest.

A sigh escaped as she critically eyed her room, feeling like a bad hostess for her friend, despite how often Alya had been to her room and seen everything in the last year alone. Even before she enrolled in ISC, Alya was well aware of her long-term "hobby" and had even helped launch its internationalization with a website that had been selling her items since high school.

It just went against her basic principals to let Alya wade through the explosion that was her room. She knew what it was all for and let herself slip when in the midst of an order, but always was sure to pick up when done. Sadly, Alya's project came right in the middle of a Christmas rush and she was trying so hard to keep ahead of them. To the detriment of her homework.

She flopped on the bed, hand rubbing her eyes. The usual burn was there and would probably stay until she allowed them rest sometime tonight. Sadly, with all that faced her from class and work, she would end up staying till midnight at the rate she was going.

A groan escaped. Tomorrow's class was at eight. She had the chance to at least get up with the sun, but knowing that she had time to "sleep in" only meant she'd be up later than usual to get any homework caught up or ahead so she could take a nap later. Hopefully, she didn't waste all that money from recently mailed orders on coffee to stay awake in class so she could get more work sent out.

One of these days, she was going to find a spot for her own coffeemaker and locate spare moments to make a pot or two herself.

A knock threw her from her jumbled mess of thoughts. She hurried from the bed and the few steps it took to get to the front door and threw it open. She gave a greeting and stepped aside to let Alya in, locking the door behind her and following.

"I've got your part all set up; all you have to do is read it." Alya dropped her backpack on the floor by the dresser and rummaged through it. "This shouldn't take too long if you don't freak out too much about your lines and all the nuances in the recording."

She stopped above and scowled below. "By 'nuances', you mean annoyances right?"

Alya smirked and stood, eyes on her tablet. She plopped down on the one clean piece of furniture and was joined a second later. "It'll be a piece of cake, I swear. I'm going to sit right across from you and help you out where necessary. If you take more than thirty minutes on this, I'd be amazed...but not that surprised."

She sat back and watched her friend fiddle with the computer for a second before a hand extended to take it. She scanned the words, finding them simple and precise. It took maybe a minute to read the short passage.

Blue looked up to brown, a raven brow going up.

"So...what's my angle?" She started, sitting forward, tablet in her lap. "Am I supposed to be timid because I'm talking to the cops...awed that I'm on 'tv'...or scared that I might be recognized by the thief because of my voice?"

"Oh for the love of..." Fingers went under Alya's glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. There was nothing after a brief sigh, which only meant Alya was humoring her need to find the right role in all of this. "Okay...I got it. You're annoyed that the thief got away and felt you needed to do the right thing by calling the police. The police have to record your voice as evidence, but then the tv station gets a hold of it. You don't know any of that though, so you speak with confidence and retribution for the poor woman that was robbed."

"Sounds like something I'd do anyway." She mumbled, grinning. She looked back to the words, reading them with new meaning. "Okay...I think I can do this."

"I already said that!" Alya reached forward and opened up the audio recording program. "It doesn't matter if there is fumbling or other noises before or after you speak. I'll edit those out so don't worry. If you mess up, stop and give it a second before starting again." A tanned finger hovered over the record button. "Ready?"

She resettled for the few moments she hoped it would take and looked resolutely to the device. Her lips silently moved as she went over the few lines twice. Finally, she looked up and nodded. Alya's finger pressed the tablet down on her leg and started the program.

Despite how easy it was, she still went at it for ten minutes and five attempts before feeling satisfied. No, more like Alya was satisfied with the work and said that was more than enough samples to pick from. She pressed the stop button and handed the tablet back, finally scratching her head which had been bugging her half the time, yet too paranoid to scratch it and put it on the recording.

Alya hopped off the bed and grabbed her bag, tablet immediately going inside. "Thanks for doing this Marinette. I really appreciate it."

She smiled and gave her friend a quick hug. "It's not a big deal. I know I made it sound like one, but that's because I want you to get the highest grade possible out of this."

Alya grinned. "No need to worry about that." Her hand came down on a shoulder with a pat. "Thanks for taking a break out of your schedule to do this." Brown eyes peeked past to the desk. "I see you were in the middle of something, as always. Maybe I should've brought food from dinner for you. I doubt you're going to eat much in the next few hours."

She sheepishly laughed, knowing she was caught. "Ah ha ha...I'll grab something shortly after you leave." She pacified, finger scratching a cheek nervously. "Mama sent over some croissants for me the other day and I've been gnawing on those while I work."

Alya tsked at her, finger wagging in her face. "Include something else in that before you head to bed tonight girl! I'll tell mama you're not eating and she'll give you what-for. Along with a bunch of food probably."

She laughed and waved her friend off. After another hug, she was heading to the door and waving goodbye for the evening.

Once the door was locked again, she leaned against it and looked into the small space called hers, hand going against her stomach. Her mouth scrunched up in thought as her fingers lightly scratched at the sweater, trying to figure out the best time to get food, aside from now. With a sigh, she pushed off the door and headed for the stash of goodies in a small fridge near the entrance. Hands grabbed anything that appeared remotely appealing in that second and tucked it against her chest as she headed further inside.

Standing in the center of it all, she looked around for a place to put everything and decided to dump the containers on her bed. Grabbing her phone and the notepad app on it, she pulled up the stages she had logged and grabbed a roll.

"Need to finish the rest of the sleeve on that blouse..." She mumbled, mouth full of baked good. "Got to get the buttons sewn on that skirt and it'll be done." A thumb scrolled through the list. "I don't think getting those pants cut up tonight is going to be good at this hour." Her now free hand went for another roll. "Hmm, maybe if I have a break in classes tomorrow I can get that done." Blue eyes squinted in thought. "Ugh, I need to get going on knitting that sweater!"

So many projects she had let herself get into, yet it was for the best. She was good at her hobby and knew this, but the holiday season had snowballed it out of proportion in the last month alone. Thankfully, her new and return customers weren't too horrible to work with time-wise and those that were, or that paid extra to be next in line, got their things sent out a little quicker than the more patient ones.

After three croissants, some jerky, and downing a bottle of water, she set the mannequin torso in the center of the room, and grabbed the skirt and sewing case. All that was left was to get three buttons sewn on, check the thing over, and it would be done. Then, the annoying task of getting to the post office.

Sometimes she wondered what was easier: making the garments one at a time or trying to get them shipped out all at once. Everything was tailored to her imagination and measurements of the client, but she didn't have time to mail out each box by itself whenever she was done. Thus, the means of working so late to get as much done as possible together, so everything could all go to its respective owner as fast as possible, location be damned.

At the first yawn, she found it to be after ten, but rubbed her eyes and worked on something that required less finer details and perfect vision. When eleven o'clock was coming to a close, she pushed aside the bolts of cloth to find the buried container of croissants and jerky for another snack.

Eating was a chore, mostly because it took more focus to keep her eyes open and her head upright. Chewing was partially forgotten as her dried and overly used eyes wanted to close by themselves and had to be fought every second to stay open. Her tired brain was still wondering how many more minutes she could squeeze from the end of the day before giving up and passing out.

Then there was the eight a.m. class and its companions. Sometimes, after many a late night like this, she had to fight to tell herself to get out of bed and go study what she really needed to be learning. She didn't enroll in the MBA "Marketing Management des industries créatives" program because she needed to learn how to run a sewing machine. Marketing, general management, taxation, brand management, and law classes giving details on the business she was already running were a huge help in getting her tiny entrepreneurship to expand in the near future. They provided so much more insight than she ever had in high school and had helped shape the website and give ideas for the future as she learned.

That didn't mean they were fun though. Most of them were so dry and lots of late nights had her almost falling asleep in her books during class...only managaing hasty excuses that she had been up late working on a project related to class.

Speaking of projects...

She flopped over the rolled up bolts, realizing she hadn't given any precious minutes to the project that was due in a few days. Thankfully, having already started and successfully continuing a small business helped with getting project designs done. All she had to do was use her "theoretical company", Lucky Charm, on all her projects and then use whatever advice the professor gave her on the actual company: Lucky Charm.

She grinned and sat up, bleary eyes staring at the closed backpack across the way. Tomorrow...she would spend time tomorrow before any order was touched and made sure a lot of headway was done, then continue on her bread-and-butter. She could get back to what kept her busy most of the afternoon and away from her beautiful and understanding friends.

Blue eyes crawled across the space to her bed, the idea of clean-up dawning on her. Hands scrubbed her eyes with a groan as she leaned forward and threatened to topple to the bed as it was. She looked up to the mannequin and realized that unless she wanted it to scare her in the middle of the night, it would need to get put away as well.

A midnight warning alarm came from the phone located in her purse and made her jump. She rolled her head, stretched her arms, and stood to begin cleaning the small rectangle of her college dorm.

It really was amazing how she managed to fit everything so well in such a small area allotted to students. Sometimes, when she finished late on nights like these, she would stand in the center of the space and stare at how well she organized it. Tidied bolts stayed piled on top of each other, the sewing machine helping to hold them up. The half-done, soon-to-be clothes were folded and rested on top of a short dresser for easy access later. The mannequin was shuffled to the other side of the narrow armoir in another corner, and a few extra scraps and smaller items were stuffed in the drawers under her bed.

Despite the amount of headache and lack of sleep that it granted her, she wouldn't trade it for anything. Even when undergrad art projects loitered around instead of business management items, she still loved it all. She was getting to do what she loved, something most people didn't get the luxury of doing, and it was a fun crazy. She really didn't need anything else right now.

Well...maybe for the holidays to be over with so she could sleep in for once...

Soon Christmas would be over and the new year upon her. There would be a few free days in there when she could sleep and catch up on everything. Maybe spend time with Alya or her parents. Hang out with Nino or Mylene or Ivan or Juleka or Rose or Nathaniel.

At the mental thought to the red head, teeth nibbled her lip for a second before she pushed him from her mind. It was late and she wasn't going to entertain such thoughts.

She slowly stood and changed into her sleepwear, taking a quick stop in the bathroom to finish up and crawled under the covers. The bed was cold, but it felt so good and she sank into the mattress, cradling her pillow like it was the most precious gem in the world. She nuzzled it a few times, happy sigh coming out before she fell asleep moments later.


	9. An unexpected text message

"I want you to stop by tonight for dinner and to take some leftovers from last night home with you so you have meals for the next few days."

She squelched a sigh. "But mama, I've got a lot of work that I need to get mailed out today." She returned, teeth nibbling on her lip at the mention of free food.

"Then get them mailed out and stop over afterward. I won't be like Alya's mother and demand you here at a specific time dear. I know you're busy. I got a text the other day about it."

She stopped amidst the walk back to her dorm and gaped down the sidewalk leading off campus. "I wondered why the sudden phone call..."

'Damn it Alya. You beautiful, annoying friend you...'

"Don't think I'm unaware of how hard you've been working yourself." Sabine chided with a click of her tongue. "I've known of your late night habits since Sorbonne, dear. That kind of thing doesn't change and I understand your responsibilities perfectly well. One reason why you need to come over for a good meal."

She smiled, shoulders dropping from the tension. Her wonderful, lovely mother, who was so great at so much. Even the call, with its initial start, was full of concern and compassion.

"So, with that being said. Do what you need to do. If you eat with us, you eat with us. If you're late and we finish, I can keep a plate warm for you and get leftovers ready in the meantime."

"Thank you mama. You always know what I need."

"That's because I'm your mother." Sabine laughed. "So, no more arguing on the subject. Get your items sent out before the post office closes and come straight over. Understood?"

"Understood. See you later, mama." With a click of the phone, she stuffed it in the back of her pants with a smile and concentrated on the trek back to her dorm. Classes were done, her latest project turned in, and she was going to put aside the recently assigned chapters for a few hours until after the big stuff was taken care of.

More Christmas orders and dinner with family.

The door clicked shut, silence and the winter chill greeting her. Sunlight streamed in through the unblocked window, shining on the concrete floor and rug she had made in high school. Her mannequin was off to one side, dressed in the sweatshirt she had gotten halfway through last night. There were three boxes all taped up and gaping open, waiting to be filled and sent off.

She just knew the people at the post office were going to get sick of seeing her one of these days. Maybe she should consider dropping off an early Christmas present of chocolate-filled croissants next month.

She smiled and grabbed the skirt, blouse, and sweater from their places on the desk. Carefully folding each one after wrapping it in delicate paper for the journey, they were placed inside with adjoining care instructions in multiple languages, thanks to Nino. A quick roll of the packing tape gun and then they were slid across the mostly bare floor toward the front door.

She sat on the floor for a moment, eyes on the small clutter across the way. It was a nice, yet sad feeling to send off her creations. Even though she spent so much time making each one and would never see them again, they were going to (hopefully) loving homes for the rest of their days. Such feelings had stayed with her for years and she wondered if she would ever truly get over it once her business grew and she wasn't the only one making everything anymore.

With a shake of her head, she stood and put the handy tape gun back in a drawer. She deposited the backpack in its usual spot on the desk, mentally vowing she'd get a chapter or two read later after dinner.

Just as she was checking on the funds for the post office, a buzz came from her back pocket and jolted her. A hand pulled the phone out and found a short message on the initial sign in screen.

 _How_ _have_ _you_ _been?_ _Haven't_ _heard_ _from_ _you_ _for_ _about_ _a_ _month._

Her mouth went dry at the words and the contact number shown with them. She harshly swallowed, mind blanking. Somewhere over the next few moments, she reminded herself to blink and finally looked away from the screen when it went dark. Her eyes idly gravitated to the awaiting boxes that she had to somehow get to the post office. Then she had dinner with her family, books to read...

Fingers turned the screen back on and started typing in the return box.

 _I_ _was_ _just_ _heading_ _to_ _the_ _post_ _office_ _to_ _mail_ _out_ _some_ _packages._ _I_ _could_ _use_ _an_ _extra_ _pair_ _of_ _arms_ _if_ _you're_ _free_ _in_ _the_ _next_ _ten_ _minutes..._

She stared at the phone, mind whirling. Why she did this to herself, she didn't know. She knew exactly what may happen by inviting him over to her dorm. She knew because it had happened countless times before.

She should just send him back a return to say that she had the wrong text box. That she was heading out now and couldn't wait for him. That she had to hurry because she had dinner with her parents real soon.

 _I_ _was_ _just_ _doing_ _a_ _painting,_ _but_ _I_ _can_ _wash_ _up_ _and_ _be_ _over_ _right_ _now_ _if_ _that's_ _okay._

She harshly swallowed. Somewhere in the back of her head, she was aware the her palms were starting to sweat and her adrenaline was running. Her heart was racing and her peripheral vision erased itself, eyes only on the words asking for permission and announcing his possible arrival.

'No, I don't have time to wait for you to come over. Sorry...maybe another time. I was being stupid.'

'I didn't mean to bother you. Go ahead with your work. I've actually got a bunch to do later, too.'

'I'm actually going to the post office and then spend some time with my parents for a bit.'

 _That'd_ _be_ _a_ _big_ _help._ _I've_ _got_ _everything_ _ready_ _and_ _I_ _can_ _just_ _do_ _some_ _more_ _work_ _while_ _you_ _head_ _over._ _I'll_ _leave_ _the_ _door_ _unlocked._ _Mind_ _the_ _boxes_ _by_ _the_ _front._

There was a return _no_ _problem,_ _see_ _you_ _then_ and then nothing.

She was barely aware of putting the phone in her purse and staring around the room. Get some work done now that she was feeling like this? She shouldn't have let the day take such a sudden turn, but the silent, subtle invite was there from the initial text and she let herself fall into it.

As she had done for months now.

She looked to a stack of yarn and size four knitting needles sticking out of one of the skeins. Her hands were shaking so much she didn't know if it'd be a good idea to start that hat and scarf combo, but if she didn't occupy herself, she was only going to pace until he got here. Despite the possible mistakes and annoyances, that was the better alternative.

Doing the hat was out of the question. A full round-a-bout knit would never be managed and she'd only slip needles every other second. A pair of straight needles was the only alternative...provided she didn't mess up on her counting and lines. As it was, she was about to lose a lot of work time tonight, so having to undo whatever she could get done was not a good option.

With a shaky breath, she grabbed the soft wool and plopped on the bed. Everything rested on her legs for a few moments, eyes blandly on the items, until she realized what she was supposed to be doing. She reminded herself that she could always pace, and probably build herself up even worse, if she didn't want to concentrate and take her mind off his arrival.

Fingers managed to work instead of her brain as she started the initial ties, making sure to loop enough to have fringe to work with later. That done, she fumbled with the needles, trying to remember exactly how the pattern went before mentally berating herself and starting in.

The intended effect lasted long enough to calm her nerves until there was a knock on the door. She had managed to get twenty lines done, quite a feat in her frazzled state, but was done the second the noise hit her ears.

The jolt and spike of return adrenaline caused her to jab herself right in the palm with a surge of strength. She shouted out a return noise of pain and curse before tossing everything on the bed and trying to shake the pain out. With mumbles of agony and a quick look to the small red circle, she blinked back tears of pain and stood when the door opened.

"Are you okay? What's with that noise?"

Her heart rate tripled the second he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. She was unable to look his way amidst her nerves and instead focused on the shaking hand she was clutching at the wrist. She didn't bother to answer; knowing that anything that came out would be horribly said and give her away.

"What did you do? Making something? Did you poke yourself with a needle?"

A sleeve swiped at the pained tears and squinted his way. "Knitting needle..." She weakly managed, suddenly finding him within arm's reach. Her fingers spread to show him the dot on her hand.

He managed a small smile, hand coming out and gently closing over the trembling digits. "Still a klutz. Now I know why I was called upon to help you carry those boxes. They wouldn't even make it to the post office before you fell on one and smashed it."

She stared at the skin covering hers for a second before yanking her hand back with a little more force than what she intended. "Yea..." She shakily muttered, turning for the bed. "You know me..." She swallowed and inched away, bending down to pick everything up. "Let me just put this all away and we can go."

A pair of arms didn't let her finish the task. They wrapped around her waist and gently pulled her to a solid yet thin chest and soft hug. "You always do give yourself away..." Came the quiet murmur in her ear.

The breath left her in a shaky whoosh and she was all too aware of his arms around her. Of the heat against her back. Of the backs of her legs pressing up against his. Of the tufts of his soft hair tickling her ears.

She was worried he could feel her shaking like a leaf in his hold. That he could feel her heartbeat with his arms all the way down in her stomach. That he knew exactly what was going to happen before the post office ever became a necessity.

Somewhere in those quiet seconds, she was unable to think of anything rational to push him away or untangle herself. Part of her relished the time in his arms...the long time apart and the last time they'd been together.

Despite their history, yet because of their history, he was here now and he was doing such a thing...knowing that it could lead to something else. He seemed content to just hold her like that and stay as they were though...as if waiting for her to take initiative in some way and direct him. He had knocked on the window and she had opened it to invite him closer. Past events kept her rooted, even when sensibility yelled at her to get going on all the things she had to do today.

His arms finally let go, sliding across her stomach as he did, in his acquiescence to her silence. "So...about that post office then..." He mumbled, taking a short step back.

His words were like a bucket of ice water to her thoughts and prompted her to realize where she was, who she was with, and what had yet to transpire for the next few hours. She blinked and righted herself, hands numbly holding the needles and yarn which were all over the place from being jostled. "Yea...sorry... Let me just...put this away for now..."

She avoided eye contact as she moved around him and set the skein back where she pulled it from. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and turned to face him, blue eyes locking with green eyes for the first time since his entrance.

She took a second to admire his almost feminine beauty and thin structure through the subtle masculinity he exuded. The kindness in his eyes and the small smile on his face. The paint under his chin...

She headed straight over without thinking and licked her thumb, reaching for the division between neck and chin, and rubbed.

He jerked back, eyes slightly wide, arms quickly grasping her wrist. "What are you doing?" He queried, heart racing underneath her thumb.

She blinked in the middle of getting red off his skin and recognized her actions. She blushed from neck to ears and paused in her work. "Y...you had some...red paint...right there..." She lamely explained, hand shaking under his hold. "You must have...missed it...because of your hair..."

He looked to her and took in everything she gave in her eyes. Everything. She may have thought she was hiding things from him, but she couldn't.

Never him.

He was silent for what seemed an eternity before closing his eyes and angling his head back for better access. "I thought I got it all..." He mumbled. "Would you?"

In that gesture, she knew all that the next thirty minutes would bring and it made her shiver. She foresaw it because she knew what she would do, what he would do, knew what that innocent action meant, knew what her response would be. Even though they had been apart for the last year already, she still felt that she knew him better than most. His initial text had already led to this and she was unconsciously aware of that when she responded to him in the first place.

Her thumb stopped in its movements, feeling his heart beat rapidly in time with her own. Her head shut down as she stared, transfixed at the sharp angle of his chin, thinness of his neck, the length of his lashes, and the light touch of his hand around her wrist.

With a harsh swallow, she kept rubbing and smearing paint with the intent of getting it off.

It was a kind offer of help, really it was. He had missed that one spot because of the location and it blended in with his hair enough for him to miss it. In fact, his hair probably had covered it since it was almost to his shoulders now. She didn't want it staining his clothing, since it was acrylic and she knew from personal history that it got all over the place easily.

She didn't register the mess she was making more than she was fixing, more mesmerized with the movement and feel of his skin against hers. The nostalgic fire it lit in her blood, running through her veins, was like stroking the embers and throwing new wood on the smoldering pile. She didn't even know how many times she merely moved her thumb back and forth, barely doing a bit of good. A part of her relished this, had missed it, and regretted it all at once.

"Did you get it?"

His Adam's apple bobbed with each word, creating a beautiful dichotomy to his pale skin and fair features. It reminded her of how male he was; how much he could fit against her quite easily. The quietness of his voice, each word slowly chosen, blazed the fire into an inferno. She stared at the straightness of his nose, the swoop of his hair over one eye, and the delicate curve of his brow.

His eyes finally opened when she never answered. His neck slowly angled toward her, green eyes darkening past any possible color of emerald she could ever find in a fabric store. He stared at her in silence, in total seriousness for heartbeats, before his free hand rose and cupped her cheek.

"You always gave yourself away...you know that?" He breathed, somehow inching closer.

She was unaware of her hand falling from his face or that she was stone in his hold. The ability to breathe had left as she remained as mesmerized by his eyes as he was with hers. His words never registered in her ears, though she heard him perfectly. The touch of his thumb against her cheek was like a burn she wanted more of.

It wasn't until his lips lightly touched hers, barely gaining a foothold, when the explosion happened. Her arms latched around the soft silk that was his hair, mouth claiming his ability to speak. She pushed against him so fully that no air could be seen, stealing the shocked noise he tried to make at her brazen approach. In a second, not thinking of what would happen afterward, his arms returned the strength of her embrace, one hand mussing up the pigtails she had to keep out of her way while she knitted.

His hands repositioned themselves to hold her weight as she jumped up and wrapped her legs around him. He held her against him easily, though he looked like he had no ability to do so. Eyes closed, unable to think, he shifted blindly, but expertly, and plopped down on her mattress. She only gave a muffled noise of annoyance that his lips left hers and readjusted. Her legs unlocked from his torso and shifted to angle up for better leverage against him.

"The post office...is going to close...at this rate..." He mumbled around her lips.

She left his mouth for his jaw, heading in the opposite direction of the paint. "Don't worry..." She breathed, licking his skin and focusing only on him. "I know exactly when they close...and this won't take long..." Hands brushed under the front of his shirt even as his went up the back of hers.

"Besides...I have dinner with my parents after the post office." She was silent long enough to pull her shirt off and over her head. A hand went and pulled the bands out of her hair to keep the back of her neck warm. She also liked it when he played with her hair and knew he liked her hair loose. "And you may as well come with me after this." Her hands grasped his hair as his head dipped into the small valley she presented him. Gasping noises were all she got out before she remembered she wasn't finished speaking. "I..don't think...they'll mind..."

Green eyes paused at pale skin covered with a pink, lacy bra. "Even though they know...?"

"They...won't mind...probably." She idly muttered, pushing up against him with a groan that drowned out the rest of any possible conversation.


	10. The difficulty of friendship

Some people often wondered what heaven was made of. What it consisted of. So many theories and questions presented themselves on the subject and he had long ago figured out that, for him, it was the type of those noises that she kept making.

God, those noises...

He missed her dearly and if she ever wanted him to say the words again, he would paint her portrait after portrait of just how much he had missed her. Such words were lost to the heat of the air and the silent chill of the moment, but never far from his mind. Even if he had already spoken such things months ago, she only ever entertained his emotions, and hers, at times like these.

He knew they were both greedy and had been for a long time. They were lost souls who clung onto what little they had shared even though she had gotten over him more than he had her because of her work and the school she was attending. She left Sorbonne after their bachelor's programs were over and came here. They continued through life in their own ways and broke up what they used to share together.

Much to his severe sorrow.

It was easy to forget such facts whenever events like this occurred. He almost thought it possible that, whenever he felt the glorious touch of her skin against his, perhaps she might reconsider and let him in more permanently. That she would find spare moments in the middle of the night or after class to give to him. That she would rescind a decision based on pity for him and realize he didn't care how far away she was, so long as she thought of him from time to time.

He always left satisfied, yet a fool.

She knew; he knew she did. She was well aware of her idiocy and of his begging her to be near. She gave herself away every single time and he could see it. See it in the choppy movements she did, the way she avoided looking at him, the way she gave in to his nearness whenever he could get near enough.

He tried to close himself off from such thoughts, always bittersweet and badly timed, to take solace in the valley of her chest and the warmth he knew no one else had been to. She would never be so desperate with other men aside him. Always him. That was what partially kept him coming back to her. Some dying and pitiful being who would crawl on his hands and knees to her till they were bloody, but somehow keep going toward her.

He panted and paused, clinging to her small frame as she did his. The noises she made died down to whispers, but he tucked them away in the corners of his ears to remember later on. As he usually did.

The feel of her skin under his made his heart swell and clench with each beat. She was so beautiful in many ways and he had known her for so long that he just couldn't give her up. Even if she seemed to walk past him, he would always jog to catch up.

"I need to go take a quick shower before that post office closes..."

He smiled at the giggle and lame joke. He took in the shy glow and rosy cheeks, the teeth that caught her lip in her return hesitancy toward him. He met eyes mere inches from his and tried so hard to keep from kissing her breathless. His smile turned soft; a hand reaching up and smoothed sweaty bangs from her eyes. "Do you have an extra towel I can use? I think I need to as well."

She looked at him as if not expecting him to need to tidy up. She looked away with a choppy nod, lips pressed together. He hid his sigh at her behavior and forced himself from giving her the reassuring kiss on the forehead that he really wanted to give. After a second of every nerve ending memorizing the feel of her legs against his, he slowly untangled himself and sat up.

He sat on the bed, neither of them clinging to any part of clothing in a seamstress's room, and watched her cover her chest with both arms and straighten some of the tangled locks at her cheeks. Part of the beauty died a little as he avidly waited for her eyes to return to his, but they never did. He merely watched her walk away, still admiring that perfect form he knew all too well, and disappear into the closet that was her bathroom.

Giving into the deepest sigh he had let out since the last visit to her bed, he looked around the room with a sense of bittersweet despondence, none of the feelings new, but never pleasant to experience. Why did he keep on doing this to himself? The answer was obvious and simple, yet horribly complicated in its own way.

A hand ran through his hair and scattered some of the sweaty clumps at the back of his neck. After a second, he idly stared at how busy her room looked, having totally ignored it until now, even if he was well aware of how much she did at any given moment. He knew because he had helped to create the name of her business and even some design ideas of previous clothing.

The door opened mere moments later, his beautiful sorrow wrapped in two towels...and looking to the floor as she stopped across the way. He stared at her, trying to keep his expression even, even as his heart clenched in his chest as she almost refused to come any closer or look at him.

"I...used up both of the towels... I can get you something else if you want, but they're just hand towels..."

He hated this. The timidness in her voice after the breathy passion she gave him mere moments ago. He wanted to yell at her, to plead with her, to reason with her, but all he could do was sit there and stare at her fidget with the towel covering her chest, eyes on it.

He stared for what seemed forever before being the better of the two to broach the subject. He finally gave the sigh he wanted to let her hear earlier, shaking his head with a quiet chuckle. She finally looked at him, even if his eyes remained on the towel around her head.

He stopped before her and draped his arms over her shoulders, hands toying with the tucked in strands. "I can take this one." He murmured, a gentle smile on his face. "It's okay..."

The final statement was two-faced. He was obviously okay with using a towel she had utilized to wipe herself dry with. He had been for a while. It was the subtle choosing of those words which permitted everything to happen, to the detriment of his feelings for her benefit. Of course he was okay with it, even if some of him wasn't.

The second he looked into her eyes, he found hope, sorrow, and shyness. He lightly kissed her forehead, and that was all it took for him to forgive her and get her to embrace him. Again. As always, she was passionate, she was honest, and she was regretful. He didn't mind everything except that last one. He didn't want her to ever think that what she did was wrong. He would never have given in if it was.

He sighed again as her arms slackened at his waist, her head somehow buried against his shoulder with the towel threatening to cover his face. He managed a small smile and gave her a quick squeeze. Instead of saying anything else, he took the towel from her hair and smelled the shampoo she used, subtly relishing its scent to remember later, before taking it and tossing it over a shoulder. "So...dinner at your parents huh?" He managed a fake grin. "That should be fun."

She tucked a loose strand of wet hair behind an ear and ducked her head with a smile. "Mama will give me 'that look', but she won't mind." Her brow suddenly furrowed. "I think. I don't think she'll care. If she does, I can talk to her later."

"I won't go if it's going to cause problems." He stepped back, putting a finger under her chin to get her to look at him. "I don't want to be a burden to you. You know that."

He watched her eyes gloss over and the rapid blinking, felt her chin wobble. He felt only a little guilty for using such words. He never liked seeing her cry; her smile lit up his life.

He forced a smile to change the situation and playfully patted a cheek. "But you know how I like to live on the edge, right? So why don't we see what today brings and laugh at it tomorrow."

She nodded with a smile, somewhat forced he thought, and stepped back. Her hands went to the towel as she stepped from him for her drawers. "Go get that shower and we'll head out."

He had almost closed the door when the soft plop of cotton met his ears and he quickly spied a glance through the crack to gaze at perfection again before forcing himself away. He really didn't need to see her nude to know how her; he had plenty of portraits and sketches at home already. The last few years had helped shape her beautifully though and he gave into the dreamy look on his face before remembering she was waiting on him.

After a quick rinse and dry, he shuffled into his clothes, noting how she didn't look at him until he was presentable. He bypassed the awkwardness she exuded and went for one of the boxes with more cheer than he felt. He focused more on the rest of the afternoon that he would be able to spend with her, and the amazing food her mother cooked that he missed as well.

"So, am I going to carry all of these or are you going to help me with one?" He smiled, stacking two and bending down to grab them. "I know you called me over to be your slave, so just checking on my work load."

A pair of arms suddenly snaked around his torso and squeezed as tightly as possible. He stumbled and caught himself before they both fell into the wall and looked over a shoulder. He couldn't see anything but midnight with her head buried in his back. "Marinette?"

"I'm...sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I did it again...I'm so sorry."

The pause that followed her apology was the thickest, most palatable thing imaginable. He finally let out a breathy chuckle, lightly patting her hand. His mouth opened to tell her it was okay, but he couldn't get the words out. She knew, and he knew she knew. She was well aware of her actions.

He finally sighed as the only immediate answer he could give and looked to her door as if it would help. There was no smoothing things over; only she could do that. Yet, he didn't want to leave it at this. He wanted her to cheer up and smile for him to get him through the next extended length of time before he managed to see her again.

"Hey," He murmured, "I didn't come over here ignorant." He gently pulled at her hands, but they refused to move and thus he let them stay attached. "I know exactly what your message meant. I think you did too. We both know and we'll continue to know. It's just an unmanageable right now, you know?"

"But...it's never fair to you."

He paused and gave a sad smile to the floor. "As long as you know that." He pulled her arms apart with enough force to tell her to move and turned. He forced a smile and gave in to the kiss he wanted to give earlier. She didn't stop him, but didn't encourage him either. He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, happy his bangs covered most of his view of her. "As long as you're aware, that's enough for me." A hand came up and tapped her head, then her rib cage. "Because I know something still is in there hiding from me." He sat back and feigned a playful look. "But don't think you can let it hide forever Marinette. I'll catch it and then I won't let go." He winked and stood, extending a hand. "Now, about those boxes you lazy loafer..."

01010

"I knew you'd be late, but I didn't know the reason to be this."

"Ah...ha ha ha...sorry I didn't send a message before mama."

"That's okay dear. You knew I was going to have plenty of food ready to give you. You can share it, I suppose."

He greeted Sabine with a kiss on the cheek and a hug, never tiring of the kindness she always gave him. He also noted the raised brow she shot behind him at her daughter, but took her attention to keep incrimination off Marinette. "It's been a while Madame Dupain-Cheng. I hope I'm not interrupting a family moment."

"Nonsense dear. You know you're more than welcome in this household."

He walked around into the living area, chatting with Sabine and greeting Tom when the pair fully entered. The place hadn't changed since he had been here a year ago and he was happy for that. It made the feel of stopped time more permanent...of the ability to live in the past just a little more in reach.

"Did you and papa already finish, mama?"

"We were mostly done, but we can certainly sit with you and Nathaniel while you eat." Sabine put a hand on his back and lightly pushed him to the table. "I'd like to hear what you've been doing over the last year Nathaniel."

He smiled and nodded, taking his old place at the table. "I'd be happy to tell you anything you wish to know Madame Dupain-Cheng."

"You can still call me mama. That's much easier."

His shoulders relaxed a little more when Tom nodded and added he be called "papa" as well. He smiled back, daring to glance at Marinette and found her slightly red and notably embarrassed. "Thank you mama...papa. How have you been these summer months?"

Chatting with the Dupain-Chengs was the best salve in the world. Even after what happened, they treated him like any other person. He didn't know just how much they knew, but they either hid it well or were clueless to whatever Marinette might have given for information. Either way, he was happy for the impromptu invitation and free meal.

"Please give me the recipe for the dish, mama, so I can try my hand at home later." He playfully begged, a teasing glint in his eye. "Although, I know it won't be as good as this, I can certainly try my hardest."

Sabine smiled back. "Artists are also great cooks. Cooking is another form of creation if you have an eye for detail. You'll do just fine."

"You give me too much credit for the size of my kitchen." He kidded, laughing with Tom.

A strong hand clapped lightly on his back. "If you're in dire need of some good food, you can always return with Marinette another time. We enjoy the company of friends."

He gave warm thanks to the invite, spying a quick glance at her across the way. She was way too serious for such a light-hearted offer and he knew that such words wouldn't be put to good use for a long time. It speared his chest a little, but he purposely ignored it and focused on the precious seconds of now. He would make these hours count and think of them as fondly he did the other ones.

01010

"I'm so full! I don't think your mother could have stuffed me any more than if I were a bird for the oven!"

A laugh. "That's because you're still so thin. She was probably worried you were starving."

"The saying about starving artists is true for most, except in my case." He proudly proclaimed, waving a finger in the air.

She smiled and turned to face him as they walked back to her dorm. "How is that going anyway?" Blue quickly looked to the ground before turning pleasant again and meeting his eyes. "It's...been some time since I've had any spare moments to give to you. We should catch up a bit..."

He smiled and clapped a hand on her shoulder when she fell in step with him again. "Yes we should. Friends do that." He ruffled her hair before she could say anything to that. He kept it up amidst her protests and only stopped when she slapped his chest and scurried away. He refused to be down and forced himself a little more cheerful at her put out look. "We all know you're busy with your business, but we're also proud of you, Marinette. I don't hear too many inquires from Juleka anymore about what you're doing because it's always the same answer."

She gave a sheepish grin and looked it. "It doesn't feel like it's been a year, even though it's been more than that." Blue eyes ducked to the ground again. "Tell everyone I'm sorry that I've been so distant, would you?"

He playfully bumped her with an elbow to bring her out of herself. "I'll let you tell them yourself over coffee someday soon. Sound fair?" He threw an arm around her shoulders as they walked. "Besides, if I mention how sorry and sad you are, Rose will get on my case about 'why didn't I cheer you up'; Mylene will be excessively sad and worry about you until she sees you; and Juleka will back up Rose and get on my case."

She smiled and looked to him. "Coffee sounds nice. Hopefully when most of my Christmas orders are out of the way, I'll schedule an entire afternoon of no work and no school just for my Sorbonne classmates."

"Now THAT I can relay because I want to see the shock on their faces at you putting aside free time." He ducked the hand meant for his arm and laughed. "Should be interesting. I can try sketching you the aftermath and show it to you later."

"Don't bother." She scoffed, arms crossing in annoyance. "I already know what it'll look like."

They stopped at the edge of her dorm and paused. She looked to him hesitantly and he tried to mesmerize exactly how deep of blue her eyes were in the dark.

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to contact you for a while... You know how it is." She mumbled, hand fiddling with her coat.

He embraced her without a response and gave a quick squeeze. He was silent, save for breathing in her hair, and not hiding such an action. He stepped away, clapping both hands on her shoulders with a friendly look. That's what they were after all, he reminded himself again.

"I've got to get back and get to work." He side-stepped. "I've got a landscape painting to finish, one charcoal still-life to do, and sudden inspiration for a private thing I want to do tonight." His hand cupped her cheek, eyes softening. "You be good. I'll be expecting something for Noel, you hear? My hat and scarf have been overly used and I think one of my mittens is fraying."

Her eyes misted through a small smile. "Your...order has been received..." She lamely kidded, hand gently covering his. "I...need payment Monsieur, before I start any work though... You know that."

Why she would ask that of him at their status, he had no clue. He wasn't going to second guess her and ask questions though.

His lips briefly covered hers before he forced himself to step back from her reach. "Paid in full and I expect it by Noel." His eyes squinted through a playful wag of his finger. "If I don't see anything on my doorstep by the day of, I'll come find you and complain about your business."

Her mouth opened, but whatever words she originally planned on saying were lost to the cold. She merely nodded and took a step backward, eyes on him. "Thanks for hanging out today, Nathaniel." A gloved hand rose. "I'll see you by Noel."

"And that coffee." He nodded and waved before forcing himself to turn first and walk away. Otherwise they'd spend the next ten minutes staring and waving at each other with no one moving.

He didn't wait for her to get inside safe and sound like a proper gentleman did. He had used up the remaining fake graces he could muster and needed to get away before he soured the night and said things he didn't want to. He knew they would only make her sad and then she really would stop talking to him because they would be awkward all over again. That had finally smoothed itself out and he didn't want to return things to how they had been.

The last five months had been something of a stalemate that she seemed to be able to live with. Partially because she was busy working and partially because they conversed more over text than face-to-face. He took whatever she would give; too hopeless and greedy to do much else.

The walk back home was quiet and morose. He didn't care to be there, though he had plenty of small portraits of her hidden away to stare at for as long as he wanted. They weren't the real thing he had just experienced, but they would have to do starting now. Even when the recent memory of her would fade, or ignite him, he would go back to the photos of her that he had made.

The place was dark when he slipped in, but he expected it to be. Everyone was asleep and thus he tiptoed as much as possible over the hardwood flooring to his room so his mother and sister wouldn't be disturbed.

The smell of paints and remover greeted him the second the door opened. He scrunched up his nose to them and opened the window to let some of the smell out before taking up the palette resting on his bed. Letting all of the emotions of the last hour engulf him, he grabbed a brush and idly poked at one of the thick chunks resting on the wood.

He worked without really seeing, already back in her room without his clothes and going through every good and bad emotion. The brush moved upon his command without stop until the entire canvas was covered with oil. Only then did the grip on the palette loosen, his brush allowed a break. Only then did he stop and actually take a look at what he had made; what he had expressed in the only way he could as a catharsis for his feelings.

The background was a blur of color; chunks sloshed on as if he couldn't make up his mind on what to use first. They blended only slightly with the other rainbows, looking more like waves than actual lines. Blues and purples made up the form of a man, him he knew, bending over the mass of pinks and reds that made up the nude form of a faceless woman. The most notable part was the thinness of the neck at the angle her head was thrown back to. The face was gone with barely a note of an eye to show it was human at all. If he stared hard enough, long enough, he could tell her mouth was open with the noises he had probably heard in the back of his head while he worked.

It was erotic, yet there was a feel of sorrow with all the dark colors making up the background. She was the brightest of the entire picture; everything to draw the eye to the angled arms and legs that were being lavished.

The hair didn't match either of them, but it didn't need to. He would forever know from the date alone what it would signify. It was everything he felt toward her, everything he just experienced with her today, wrapped up in one twelve-by-fourteen canvas. Perhaps in the future he would show it to others, see if it would catch anything on the market, but for now it was his selfish emotion; his beautiful time with her.

He stared at it for the longest time before sighing and standing to put it away, having looked at it long past its drying time. He dated and signed it on the back before carefully wrapping it up and putting it under his bed with the other sketches and paintings of her to look at in the months before him.

ART: cdn chobirdokan com/wp-content/uploads/SEA-OF-FEELINGS-%E2%80%94-PALETTE-KNIFE-Oil-Painting jpg


	11. Lunch with college friends

The dawn came as it always did. Every morning he woke to the chill of the winter, knowing he had been somewhere much warmer the night before, made him want to roll over and go back to blissful unconsciousness.

He lay in bed, mind wandering to yesterday, reveling in the new memories he had to dwell on. The silence in his room, only punctuated by car noises below, didn't help his mind slip into insanity. The small, rational part of his mind told him to get up and shake it off, but the larger part of him said to throw the doors wide open and to get his sketchbook out before her naked form was lost to time.

It was maybe five minutes of pondering that thought when he finally dug out under his bed a mostly full, fairly large sketch pad with attached pencil. He flipped to a blank page, the blanket and pad fighting for space to cover his legs, and stared at it. He pulled her face from his mind, seeing the darkness of her hair contrasted with the paleness of her fair skin...of all her skin. He harshly swallowed as the form underneath his body came to mind, heart picking up the pace as he felt adrenaline surge a little in his veins.

Without thinking, of knowing where he was anymore, he picked up his pencil and brought to life the vision in his mind of her laying under him, head thrown back, eyes rolled in the back of her head as he moved against her.

The only thing that took the edge off, that even reminded him where he was at that second, was a sudden knock on the door. He jumped, pencil making a disgusting mark across her perfect body and the shading that brought her curves off the page to him. He tried to catch his breath, heart racing for more reasons than one, as he tried to locate the pencil which flew from his hand somewhere on his bed.

The door opened before he could collect himself. Green eyes met hazel and all he could do was stare at his sister and the knowing, slightly annoyed look quickly twist her features.

The huge sigh said that she had seen everything and knew exactly what he was doing. "If you're quite done with your latest 'project', breakfast is ready before you head to work."

He followed her eyes down and quickly covered himself with the pad with a slight cringe. He didn't bother with excuses or explanations because his twin already knew everything and had seen the same thing before. It didn't help the mortification die completely though.

He was silent for the longest time, only managing a meek nod. "I'll...be down in a few minutes..." He mumbled, face hotter than the sun.

She sighed again. He noted the look on his sister's face change once, twice, before she shook her head. "Nope...I'm not even going to get into it this early in the morning. I'm not even going to take on that aggravation right now." He watched her hands wave around, one of them rub her temples as if his life was giving her a massive headache. She turned and shut the door behind her without another word, though he could hear her grumbling to herself as she headed from his room.

He stared at the door, feeling only slightly embarrassed and sighed at it all. There was nothing he could do, nothing he could say, to change time and erase what his sister just saw. Her annoyance only spoke to him that she knew exactly where he had been yesterday and with whom, though she was out when he left for Marinette's.

She would know because he had told her everything that was going on. The outburst was her way of trying to stay out of it instead of saying the exact same thing that he ignored every time.

He felt bad for his sister, to whom he told so much, and ignored so much of what she said. All of her advise and good intentions had gone unheeded for the past year and she now only came to him and listened when he cloistered himself in his room, painting his sorrows away.

Finally feeling well enough to stand, he put the book away and got his work clothes on. He fixed the tie to his liking and headed from his room, making sure to shut the door behind him. He was graciously granted his own space and thus didn't want to put all the paint fumes in the rest of his house and burden his mother and sister.

Speaking of...

He stopped and accepted the kiss on his cheek, giving one in return with full feeling. "Good morning mother." He greeted in German.

"Good morning Nathaniel." His mother returned, also using German. She patted his shoulder before moving to put more food, his he assumed, on the table. "Did you sleep well? Your breakfast is ready. Are you working at nine again?"

He sat down with a nod, thanking his mother for her help. "I am. I have a few new paintings to bring to the cafe." He smiled her way, knowing she'd be pleased. "The owner said that someone bought a few of my landscapes."

"Oh how wonderful!" She gushed, giving him a hug from behind. Her arms loosely squeezed his neck, being sure not to muss his clothes. "I'm so proud of you Nathaniel. Your friend was right; that place is paying off."

He sheepishly nodded and concentrated on his food as he listened to his mother go on about how happy she was that "his work was starting to get distributed around Paris for all" and that "people would finally see his talents as she saw them". His cheeks heated a little, though the praise was enough to shake him from the previous day and come back to his home for now.

"I thought you'd like to know." He responded, smile growing a little more. "I know how you asked me to keep you updated."

A hand patted his shoulder. "That has been the best news this morning and I shall take it with me to work all day."

"To which it's almost eight mother."

The woman jumped at his sister's announcement and went for the coat hanger near the door. "I'm off for the day you two. Have a good morning and afternoon, and I'll see you for dinner."

"I've got a new recipe I just received from a friend." He quickly reported, causing his mother to pause at the front door. "I'll take care of dinner tonight mother."

The woman smiled and closed the door after another round of well-wishes for their day.

"A recipe from a friend, huh? I can only imagine exactly whose parents you got that from..."

He ignored the slight sarcasm and turned back around to face the mildly irritated, yet somewhat concerned look of his sister. He took a bit of his food, trying to choice his words, before giving up and going with honesty. "I saw Marinette yesterday and ate dinner with her parents."

"Ahhh...I wondered about that note." She replied, propping her chin up on the table. A chunk of apple took up the silence for only a moment, but the wheels were obviously spinning behind her eyes. "That had better be worth it, little brother."

"That" didn't necessarily mean the impromptu recipe he got from a dinner he suddenly attended. He knew what she meant and he took a long inhale, followed by a sigh that spoke of his entire afternoon up until now.

He didn't need to say anything after that, but felt he needed to anyway. "It always is." He mumbled, closing the topic by going back to his food.

Maybe twenty minutes later, he had on his coat and shoes and was heading out with his new parcels for work. The walk to the cafe was relatively short. He entered through the glass and wood doors, closed now due to the cold of the season, and greeted his co-workers.

He looked around at the few morning stragglers wanting to enjoy a day out from their own homes as he headed to the back to put his coat away. After the short detour, he returned up front, clad in a white shirt and black vest combo. He looked around, idly smoothing the tie under his vest and looking around the all-wooden walls and ceiling that made up his workplace.

La Palette. Cafe of good food, good drink, an attraction to famous artists and art students, and a whole lot of artwork all over the walls.

Especially HIS artwork.

He looked around for the blank spots where his pieces used to angle down over the customers, wondering exactly which ones were sold. The owner only said that two of the landscapes were gone. He saw two blank spots and remembered that the Moet-style works he had painted, each depicting an afternoon with Marinette, would no longer be there for him to reflect upon during slow hours. Both were portrayed the spring, with her in a dress and facing away from him. He rather liked those, but put them up for sale anyway only because he needed the money.

Not like it couldn't be redone though.

Any painting of her, or one that he felt depicted her somehow, he was loathe to get rid of. They were personal memories that he put to canvas and thus could relive anytime he wanted to. He didn't want to get rid of most of them, but the more vague ones could actually be sold to the public and he did so sometimes.

A lot of paintings that he dared show to the public had her essence in them, even if the model didn't always have black hair and blue eyes. Most of them weren't the erotic ones that he kept for himself; a lot of them were basic times they had spent doing nothing or hanging out somewhere. The subtle agony of his works was that her face was never, or hardly, seen because of her being out of his reach in so many ways. The ones where he pictured her face were under his bed.

If she ever knew that the model he put in the pictures was always her, she may just stop talking to him for real. He knew that no amount of flattery or explanation would be enough to calm her embarrassment at knowing her face, even blurred through paint, was sitting in some room in a residency of Paris...watching who knew what. Whenever he was conscious of what he made, he would purposely make the female with different colored hair so she didn't suspect anything if she ever found it.

The first few hours of his shift that day were light. A few elderly, some housewives getting out of the house, and a few college students who didn't have class were his usual customers. He kind of liked the lighter hours because he got to chat with some of them, the elderly ladies and gentlemen especially, which he rather liked. Some of the college students he could tell were art majors and thus he had some fun talking about his experiences at Sorbonne.

The small group of girls that came in around noon, however, he didn't ever expect to see.

"There he is!"

"Awesome dude, you're working right now. She was right."

"I'm always right. He's not hard to predict."

He blinked at Marinette, who was surrounded by Juleka, Rose, and Mylene. He could only gape a little as he stared with the bar separating his friends and ex-girlfriend. The group stopped against the wood and leaned on it, smiling his way in his stupor.

"So...can we get a table or what?"

He blinked as Juleka brought him to himself and quickly nodded. Pasting on a business smile, he hurried around the bar and turned. "This way please, Mademoiselles." He ignored Rose's giggle and held a chair open to the four-seater table. "Will this do?"

The trio quickly made their way for their own chairs, leaving the one he had pulled open for Marinette to take. The two locked eyes, the gesture from their friends not lost on them. He tried not to get flustered as she blushed and looked down demurely for a moment. She finally nodded and took the last spot.

He barely had time to collect himself, let alone ask just why they were here, when coffee orders started coming at him. He reiterated each order after receiving the three and looked down. "And for you, Mademoiselle?"

Rose giggled again as a hand fidgeted with the tuft of hair in front of Marinette's ear. "I'll just have an au lait..." She almost whispered.

He gave a small, playful bow and headed away to collect everything. It wasn't until he was setting everything on a tray that he remembered his earlier words to Marinette.

" _Coffee_ _sounds_ _nice._ _Hopefully_ _when_ _most_ _of_ _my_ _Christmas_ _orders_ _are_ _out_ _of_ _the_ _way,_ _I'll_ _schedule_ _an_ _entire_ _afternoon_ _of_ _no_ _work_ _and_ _no_ _school_ _just_ _for_ _my_ _Sorbonne_ _classmates."_

His lips twitched. If he knew her, and he liked to think he did well, she felt so bad for ignoring everyone for so long and texted everyone about that coffee he suggested. He just knew the rest of his friends were so surprised and happy that they cleared out their schedules immediately.

He set each cup before his friend, listening to their chatter as he did so. He answered the questions directed to him, especially the ones concerning his ability to get time off while they were there so they could all eat lunch together.

"I suppose I could check, since I've been working for a while now."

"Good. But before you go, could you please get us our food ordered?"

The pad he whipped out, pencil poised for writing, gave them their answer. He wrote down the small spread they started playfully arguing about who was going to pay for, and promised things would be out as soon as possible. Given that it was only slightly busy, he didn't figure it would take too long.

He headed to the back and passed the order along to the cooks. He then headed for his co-workers and mentioned his situation and asked what they thought. He didn't figure it would be too difficult since he planned on staying in uniform should he be needed and he wasn't leaving for food.

Five minutes later, he was bringing himself his own au lait to the table when he realized a small problem.

The table was for four people, with only four chairs.

He ignored Juleka's banter about who he should share seats with and grabbed one from the unused table across the way. He turned it to the corner of the table where he'd be most out of the way and gave her a small grin. "Problem solved." He mused, picking up his cup.

The next fifteen minutes dissolved into questioning Marinette about exactly what she had been doing for an entire season away from them all. The trio barraged her with so many questions, he interjected a few answers so she could at least have her coffee before it went cold.

A big mistake, considering six pairs of eyes looked his way when he answered for her.

"And how are you doing so far?"

He tried not to sweat under the knowing, slightly sympathetic, and overly curious stares. He picked up the cup and stared at the remaining liquid. "Two of my paintings just sold." He side-stepped, taking a quick drink and getting their attention to the rest of the room. He pointed to the blank spaces which he would fill later, explaining what they were.

"Oh, I liked that one." Rose gushed, dreamy look on her face. "It had a good feel to it. Very wistful and romantic."

"You think most things are romantic." Juleka teased, an elbow lightly going into her girlfriend's side.

"I agree with Rose; I liked it too." Marinette sympathized, giving a congenial smile. "Your art is always so well-done and you never cease to dig into that huge well of talent that you possess to create something new."

He cleared his throat, feeling his face heat a little, and purposely kept the details of that painting a secret from her.

After maybe twenty more minutes of small talk, he stood to check on the food. Most of them were almost done and so he waited around, setting them on a serving tray when finished to bring out to his friends.

He arranged the plates in the center as much as possible for easy access to all. With encouragement that he dig in, he accepted the invite with the promise that he would throw in a few Euro to help them out.

Most of the talk died down as everyone sampled chunks of cheese, herb-drizzled tomatoes, dipped various breads in creme spreads, took small pieces of cut fish, and speared forks into apple chunks. Everyone battled for space as their forks intersected at random times for the same piece of food. Banter ensued for a few seconds every time before smoothing itself out.

This was nice, but in a bittersweet, nostalgic way. He hadn't hung out with this group since Sorbonne and they hung around campus for homework. Though the thought tried to crush his happiness, he purposely threw it to the recesses of his mind in order to enjoy the moment. Everyone, save Marinette, was out of school with their own jobs or careers and it was hard to get together like this; it was best to bypass reality for days gone by, even a little while.

Two o'clock rolled around faster than he ever thought it would. His co-workers didn't kick out his friends until it was time to clean their table. The group rose as one, putting on their winter wear as they gave apologies for staying into closing hours. He denied them all, saying that there was much more work to do before everyone left and that he had new paintings to hang for their next arrival anyway. That got everyone rooted to their spots until they got to see which ones he was showcasing next.

He gave a quick look to Marinette, trying to be as subtle as possible, before agreeing that he would show everyone before they left.

He felt like fidgeting the entire time he held up the fairly large canvases to everyone to check out, his eyes constantly straying to Marinette. He worried she was going to say something and her opinion meant a lot to him, but...these were for sale after all...

The first was in water color. It wasn't very elaborate nor very obscure. It was a simple, yet detailed design of a woman's eyes, nose, mouth, and brows.

With deep blue eyes.

The face was sharp and intelligent. She looked your way telling you that she was not one to fool with and any attempt to do so would be met with retribution. Through the warning, there was a tilt to the corners of the mouth that spoke of underlying mischief and gaiety.

He hoped she didn't notice too much that he had painted her face and tried to hide the rest of her features to keep it from being too noticeable.

The second, more daring oil pastel, was less blended and much choppier than the watercolor counterpart. It was more noticeably sad and much closer to the blue eyes that were the only solid thing in a sea of jerky swatches of paint. The gender was less visible; the main point was a pair of eyes as stormy as a blue sea.

The eyes he painted to show how she looked at him whenever she realized what she did to him after they met up.

He ignored the comments and compliments from his friends, focusing only on the one whom he really needed validation from. His eyes kept darting from her to his friends, finally seeing her looking at him with a slightly unreadable look on her face.

"I like the first one. It's a pretty woman."

"But there's much more expression in the eyes-only portrait. You can feel the sadness radiate off the canvas."

"What do you think, Marinette?"

She shook herself and looked to him with a small smile, cheeks reddening. "I...I think that...you had...quite the model to use for your paintings..." She stuttered, pointedly keeping her eyes off their friends'. The tightness in the corners of her mouth showed how displeased she was.

His mouth clamped shut on the response he wanted to give, clearing his throat and only nodding.

Of course she knew...how could she not know her own reflection? Even if the oil was harder to discern, she was too smart to not suspect the second one also about her. Considering she had been his model in art school, it was too easy to assume he still painted her, though he never showed her any of his sketches over last year.

"We should get going..." Mylene butt in, gently tugging on Marinette's coat. "Everyone is staring at us."

He looked past those immediately surrounding him and found expectant, somewhat irritated eyes his way. "Thanks for everything, Mademoiselles. I'll show you out." He left the canvases for all to see as he abandoned his work and edged to the front. He held the door open and watched them exit, his breath fogging in the cold.

Marinette stopped for the briefest seconds, lips inches from his ear. "We'll talk about this in depth later, Monsieur."

He mentally cringed at the stony tone, knowing that she was probably going to give him an earful for showcasing her face. He knew she didn't like to be in the public eye like that. She was critical of herself and shy; even though she had an internationally successful business.

But...that did mean she was going to talk to him later...

His lips twitched at the prospect. "I'll keep my phone on so you can yell at me whenever you want, Marinette. Should I come over to your dorm again?"

She flushed red, but huffed and then the second was gone. She stopped with the group and paused for only a second before picking herself up and waving him a goodbye.

Cafe: cafelapaletteparis com/en/

Lunch spread: oubruncher com/photos1/3501_1 jpg?v=1479398335586bdfd6bd126

Painting 1: s-media-cache-ak0 pinimg com/736x/08/7e/2f/087e2fec34aa2f7d1b689564242730d8 jpg

Painting 2: i ytimg com/vi/fDxYS8GGR3E/hqdefault jpg


	12. Facing the consequences

"I can't believe you took my face without my permission and put it up for sale!"

A finger jabbed his chest.

"Why didn't you tell me you were doing this?!"

Hot breath fanned his face.

"I refuse to let you keep taking such paintings and making money off it!"

Fiery blue eyes were inches away from his.

"How long have you been doing this?"

He met the eyes of storms that threatened to capsize anything he had to say and instantly kill him. He wanted to sweat when he thought to the multitude of private...items he had created with her face and body which were under his bed.

Her eyes narrowed, becoming even more threatening though she was a head shorter than he was. She inched in, tip-toeing higher, finger poking in his chest. "I know that guilty look, Monsieur. You'd better not have anything incriminating of me still! I wanted all those sketches burned years ago!" Her lips tightened for a second before her eyes flew wide, paling a little. "You...didn't keep them, did you?"

He gave a shaky laugh as the only response he could give. It sent her into a tirade of French and Chinese as she paced the room, hands flailing about her. His hands rose and shook a little as if to dispel her verbal hysterics. "Ah...ha ha ha...it's...it's not like that."

She whipped around and stalked back to him, arms harshly crossing over her chest. "This better be good." She evenly broke in, eyes demanding his explanation.

It would be better to show her so she could see for herself, but her head may just explode. She would probably tear every one of his sketches from their resting place and make confetti with them.

He cleared his throat, wondering if he should pull up his phone and show the few he kept with him when he wasn't at home.

He wondered how hard she'd throw his phone to the ground.

Honesty would probably get him somewhere, though the guilt would return with it. He had things to lose and needed to chose his words carefully. He knew a slight alienation was upon him of probably one month minimum of no contact, so he didn't want to make things worse.

He stared at her, somewhat enthralled with the enraged beauty she was showing him that she wasn't even aware of. How he'd love to paint this in a more interesting setting if he walked out of her dorm alive.

He took a step back and sat down on her bed, being careful not to jog what she had been working on before he arrived. She stopped in front and stared down, arms still crossed. He looked up at her, feeling so many things at once, and finally reached his hands up in silent request to take hers.

"If you want the truth," He quietly began, slowly uncrossing her arms without getting a fight, "I did it after we broke up." He ignored her gaze, pointedly looking to the slender digits he toyed with. "It was the one thing I had to keep with me when you didn't text me back. I'd say after month two, I started drawing you and painting you as a way to get you back in my life." He sat back, staring up enough to meet her eyes. "I won't lie and say I only have one or two." His lips twitched. "One or two dozen may be more accurate."

"What?!" She squeaked, face reddening.

"You've been my model for five years. I'm not going to paint anyone else..." He mumbled, letting the hair cover his face as he looked away.

"What...exactly did you draw?"

He grabbed his phone from his pocket and stared at the blank screen, mind whirling. She was accustomed to having been his model with and without clothing, but to know that he had created her from memory in some seriously erotic poses may be too much.

He finally flipped the phone on and turned to a locked file. He put the password in and handed it over.

Her eyes flew open when she saw just exactly what he had portrayed her as. Most of the pics on his phone were of her completely naked, body drawn as if she had been in the room under him. She stared open-mouthed, too shocked to find words, but too awed at the talent he had which found her staring at herself. Staring at a lot of passionate paintings, but staring nonetheless.

It was hard to find words. When she finished the small file set, she dumbly handed the phone back and stared at it in his hands. Those painter's hands which had done numerous things to her had also made her into something he kept in a hidden folder on his phone. She wanted to be mad, absolutely raging due to a sense of invasion of privacy, but she had been well aware of his talents for years and he still captivated her with them.

"Does...anyone else know about those?" She heard herself say.

He put a hand on her shoulder, gentle smile on his face. "My sister may be the only one who has found out a few things, but those are my private collection. They...they get me through the long days when we can't talk for a long time because of school and work."

She bit back the retort immediately on her tongue, trying not to feel exactly how near he was to her.

She stared at the hand on her shoulder, mind whirling. The request ran through her head so many times, mouth unable to say the words for what felt like forever. "I want to see them." She quietly declared. Her eyes finally met his, resolve burning. "I have that right. You didn't ask my permission for them. I know the rules. I want to see them."

He sighed, but nodded. "Just promise me you won't destroy my work, alright?" He slid off the bed and looked down, hand putting his phone away. "They are very precious to me and they express more than just you being naked."

She flushed and hurried off the bed for her coat, shoulders hunched up to her ears. She ignored the urge to say anything to that last statement and focused on getting ready. She needed to mentally prepare herself for what she was going to see.

She was going to go to his room, slightly late at night, and look at naked pictures of herself amongst whatever else which he had drawn.

She didn't have the heart to talk to him in the slightest and he didn't force her to say anything. He figured she was about right where he thought she would be when she knew this was going to happen. He was only slightly off in his calculations in that she was somewhat level-headed and wishing to see his work, though it didn't seem like she was going to set fire to anything.

The apartment was dark when he opened the front door and he flicked the lights on. The quiet greeted him and he looked around, listening for anyone. "Mother? Sister?" He asked, German cutting through the silence. Nothing immediately greeted him and he took a few steps inside, looking for notes. "I can't imagine everyone being out at this hour..." He mumbled, hanging his coat up.

She let him take hers and looked around. It had been too long since she had graced the Kurtzburg household and she felt awkward being here. Nothing seemed to have been drastically changed, but it had only been a year or so and although she knew that life goes on, it didn't that much for this family.

She jumped when he placed a hand on her shoulder, giving an embarrassed laugh for the screech. A quiet ruffling greeted her outburst and the two were soon met with a pair of hazel eyes.

"What is she doing here?"

He stepped forward, hand still on her shoulder. "Be nice. She's here to check out some paintings I did."

His sister smiled. "Oh? Did you finally tell her?"

He sighed, not wanting his twin to get into it right now with Marinette. "It came up. She has a right to as the model for my work." He stepped in front, partially to take off the ice he saw building in his sister's eyes. "Is mother at home?"

"She's out getting groceries. She was going to make dinner and saw the fridge mildly empty. I offered to help her carry things home, but she said to stay home where it's warm and in case you came back too." Hazel eyes narrowed a little. "She's not eating with us, is she?"

"If she does, that shouldn't be a problem." He turned and grasped a wrist. "Come Marinette. You wanted to see my work. Let's go."

She went as he tugged her away, blue meeting cold hazel before quickly jerking away. She knew the reason for the dislike and had no defense against it. The guilty feeling scraped down her spine as she headed to his room and the door shut behind them.

She sighed and leaned against the wood, a hand rubbing one arm in her discomfort. "I see your sister still doesn't like me..." She murmured, not wanting to be heard.

He turned and put his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry she did that. She had no right to treat you so horribly. I have perhaps said too much to her."

She only nodded, knowing how close he was to his family. His sister was the same; of course they would share such things with each other. She knew from the instance alone, could picture him wallowing in his sorrows quite clearly, that he would have taken solace in the comfort of family and poured his heart out to the one he knew would listen. She didn't fault him for that.

"About those paintings..." He broke in, stepping away. He stopped at the bottom of his bed, one hand delving under the comforter. "You may have been my inspiration, but you have to swear that you won't destroy any of them. No scratches, no tears. They are still my work." His lips tilted. "If you would like to have one however, that's different."

She scoffed and took a few steps into the room, arms crossing again. "Why in the world would I want a picture of myself naked?"

He scowled and grasped a huge leather bag full of his work. "They're not all naked. I only showed you a small piece of what I created about you."

That phrase alone had her avidly watching as he unzipped the huge duffel, curiosity starting. She watched as he pulled out two big sketchbooks and a fairly large amount of canvases.

He handed over a sketchbook first. He sat on the floor in silence, feeling somewhat agitated as she quietly went through the pages, pausing at all of them. Her face was even, eyes darting all over the lines. He watched her, feeling like he should look away. It was like having a gallery critique the work he really wanted to sell them. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her if she liked them, if she was still mad at him, but he clenched the hands in his lap and forced patience. Making her speak when she was still checking out his skills wouldn't do him any good.

She got to the last page and idly stared at the gray cardboard. The feel of the adrenaline in her system, the raging of her heart...damn it. She knew this may happen. That's partially why she didn't want to come with him at night, alone in his room, and look at his work. The way he pictured her, the emotions that flew off the page at her, created things in her that she wanted to give in to.

Some of the poses on the strictly erotic ones, showing some kind of arc of skin or body part, were so enticing and real that it reminded her very vividly of the history he had given to her. He had drawn the past on these pages and from them alone she could pick out a few instances when he had done such things to her. That didn't make the feelings any less real; it made them worse actually.

He watched how her eyelids lowered and swallowed harshly. The discernible trembling of the book in her hands told her that she was not stone to the effects of his art. He had never meant such things to occur and looked to the canvases in contemplation.

"Do...do you want to see the other one?" He stuttered, holding up the second sketchbook.

She jolted and shook herself from herself before staring at the same style book like in her hands. She blinked at it, feeling hot as the sun in multiple spots, mouth dry. Her lips slowly opened, feeling unable to breathe. If she looked at a second one, what would happen to her? Would she be burned alive inside?

She passed the first for the second and he took it without a word. The slow movements of her hands told him more than he needed. He held the pad over his lap, feeling affected by her already. This was suddenly the worst idea in the world and only remembering that his sister was still here kept him even a little calm.

This one must have been the later addition to his collection and by scanning the date subtly hidden, she mentally checked it with their "friendship". When the benefits became a more common thing and their road together much more twisted than it should have been.

The curve of hip, breast, thigh, and arch of her neck on paper was much more common to see. Sometimes there'd be only one section he drew and lavished, other times her entire body. Most instances he wasn't there, sometimes it'd be a hand or mouth present.

No matter how hard she tried, thinking was impossible and calm evaporated.

How did she get to the back page and still remain sitting where she was? All she could do was stare at herself enjoying everything being done to her and remind herself that she had to flip a page sometime before the night was done. It felt like forever for that gray piece of cardboard to make itself known and even then, there was a picture of intense eyes, shaded with blue pen, staring back at her.

The piece of logical mind still functioning bet she was staring at a mirror right now.

It was intoxicating to sit there and watch her. After everything they had done, what he had done to her, what she had done to him, this still stoked the fire. He didn't dare move lest he break the spell he didn't want to leave, too content to let the emotions raging in him to surge and move as they would...to twist him as they saw fit.

Part of him wanted to sit like that forever and bask in her reaction and revel in his reaction to her.

But, he vaguely remembered his mother was going to be back before the night was over with food to cook and that thought shook him from the world within his room. He tried to find words, but it took forever to find anything he could say.

"So..." He quickly cleared his throat to get the shake out of his voice. "So...do they match your approval? I won't destroy them...but...do you think you can forgive me for drawing them?"

She jerked at his words, barely able to come out of herself, and looked down. His eyes were stormy, the look on his face fanning the flames. She felt too lost in herself to give him any kind of proper answer since her brain wasn't working right now.

She inched off the bed to the floor and silently handed him the book. He took it with one hand and stacked it with the other resting over his legs. She looked to the canvases and quietly went for one.

Most of what he had painted held abstract qualities and it was hard to make out her actual face or form. The essence of her, and occasionally him, was still there, but less vivid than his pad. When she reached the one with the choppy background, of the obscure pair and the distinct sense of lust being given to the woman, her mouth opened and closed a few times before words slipped out without her consent.

"This...is what you did to me...one time...right?"

"I can do it again if you'd like." He murmured, brain not working.

She shivered, teeth gnashing her lower lip. Her face flamed, hands idly clutching the wood frame.

'Don't look up. Don't. Don't look up...'

Curiosity was a much more potent devil and she spied a look at the invite being given. She quickly became trapped in his eyes, unable to look away as she felt like he was already doing those things to her. Time escaped and only the moment charged between them was their reality.

However or whenever she moved forward, or he moved, there was no recollection. His sketchbooks remained skidded across the floor to no apology given at her mistreatment of them. All she knew was the feel of his lips against hers, the arms around her back, and the feel of him after she climbed into his lap. She trembled against him, trying to be as quiet as possible as the only sane thought of her brain coming to her.

This was his fault. This was his doing. He had no one to blame later but himself for whatever happened. That's what he wanted to kick himself for right now, but the yelling in his head was nothing but a whisper to the feel of her pressed hard against him. Each movement, each rub, lost his head, and replaced it with the ability to feel...with the need to please her.

His hands disappeared under fabric, as did hers. Her insistence was forever there, always demanding. She gave in to the strength of her lust while he gave in to the feelings that backed his. How far they would end up going in the next few seconds he didn't know, or particularly care, but fate was a cruel bitch when it wanted to be.

There was a fairly loud knock on the door that startled the hell out of them and her off his lap with a shriek.

"Mother is home and needs help putting things away. Get presentable and get out here." Pause. "And send her home!"

He stared at her and she stared at him. They panted at each other, faces impossibly red, unquenched desire needing to be satiated. He absolutely ached to no point of being useful within the next five minutes and it would take heading into the cold to calm down enough to be able to stand, let alone be a good son.

His sister's words penetrated her brain, knocked her conscious awake, and it clobbered her over the head with mental berating and a guilty tirade. She looked away and forced herself to calm down, shying away a little at what she'd almost done yet again. This is exactly why his sister didn't like her and she didn't fault the woman for it.

She hated herself right now too.

"I...I...I should...probably go..." She mumbled, trying to get up on shaky legs. She stumbled and fell to her knees, feeling his arms around her to steady her, though he was in no condition to do anything either. Her eyes widened, thighs thrumming at seeing him strain against his jeans, and quickly looked away before instinct took over.

He silently helped her to her feet and passed her. He opened the window to the cold night air and stuck his head outside, looking to the street around and the lamps below. The cold quickly did its job, as did deep breaths.

She felt like a total idiot as she watched him. Her fingers went to clean up his work, trying not to look at it too closely, as she put it away in the bag and zipped it close. She slid it back under his bed; closeting the dragon he had created which almost burned them both alive.

She waited near his door, watching him out of the corner of her eye, until he closed the window and turned. He stared at her with no anger, not upset at all, and stopped in front of her. "This was perhaps a bad evening to do this." He merely stated, hand lightly on her shoulder. "I hope though that your opinion of my work has changed." He gave a small smile. "I vow I won't sell your likeness in any store and I'll try to quell most of the design urges. That is all I can give."

She merely nodded and quickly turned for the door, shuffling aside his sister's knowing glare as she went for the coat in the kitchen.

"Oh, goodness, if it isn't Marinette."

She bowed a little at the German, mind trying to comprehend it in her chaos. "Good evening mother." She quietly replied, trying to remember what Nathaniel had taught her. "I hope you are well."

The woman smiled and gently embraced her. "It's been too long my dear. I am well and I hope you are too. Are you staying for dinner?"

"No." The trio turned to his twin. "She has somewhere to be for school tomorrow." Hazel eyes pointedly met blue. "Right?"

She nodded and gave a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry I can't stay. I just came to look at...something Nathaniel made."

"He has such talent, doesn't he? I'm so proud of him."

She felt like a heel, only able to nod. She met his eyes at those words, seeing so many emotions on his face. "Yea...he's very talented. I've known that for years."

He cleared his throat and stepped forward. "I'll walk you out Marinette." He paused and put a hand on his mother's shoulder. "I'll be back shortly to help you with the groceries, mother." He added in German.

"Take your time dear. I won't bother you while you see her out."

She had to get out of here. She could practically feel the daggers from his sister pierce through the blind kindness of his mother. She bid a quick goodbye, grabbed her coat, and headed for the door.

They were quiet all the way to the main entrance. She didn't dare say anything and he was at a loss as to anything useful. He finally grabbed an arm when she mumbled vague words of seeing him later, unable to let her leave like this. His mouth opened to respond to the questions in her eyes, but couldn't push out the immediate words on his tongue. He stared at her in the dark, admiring the way the streetlights illuminated her hair, and mentally added that to his painting list for later.

"Don't say you're sorry for what happened up there because I'm not." He finally muttered, gently pulling her close. A hand came up and brushed at her bangs, watching the breath fog from her mouth. "I won't."

"T...then...I won't either." She nearly whispered.

His fingers traced down to her chin and clutched it. "I will request that I get something to get me by for a while since we were so rudely interrupted...if that's ok with you...?"

She could only nod and then his lips came down on hers, insistent yet soft. She responded to him in the same manner, almost wanting to rescind her words from last year on the spot.

He didn't want to let her go and agony hit him when he did. His eyes took in everything as he regrettably let go. "I'll see you later Marinette. Hopefully, by Noel at least."

She looked down and nodded, turning away without another response and walking home in the dark.


	13. A change of scenery

"I'm so horrible! Why do I keep doing that?!"

"You want an honest answer?"

"I know why I do it...I really do! But why can't I hold myself back?"

"I'm not a psych major. Don't ask me."

"I'm so stupid. I'm the lowest of the low; total scum. He has every right to smack me across the face for what I did last week."

"While I think Nathaniel wouldn't mind a little contact foreplay, he would never hurt you."

"Don't. Just don't. I...oh my god. I suck. I shouldn't text him. I'm going to not allow myself to be around him!"

"If you do that, he's going to cry again because he doesn't get to see you. Don't do that to him."

"But I only mess everything up when I'm around him! Why do I have to keep doing that?!"

A tired sigh escaped at the same tirade which had been going on for thirty minutes so far and looking to continue for another twenty minutes.

A tanned hand patted raven hair. "Everyone knows why you keep sleeping with Nathaniel, even though you broke it off with him last year." Dark brown eyes met curious blue. Alya smiled gently. "You still feel something for him...enough to do him like you have been for so many months. Nathaniel still loves you too, Marinette, and you realize that, which is why you give in every single time he's around you. Your history with him from Sorbonne is pretty heavy and it affected you two right from the beginning, but I guess nude modeling for art class would do that to you. If you hate yourself so much for giving in to your own emotions, you should just accept them and go back out with him."

Marinette shook her head from its spot on the mattress next to Alya's leg. "I already feel bad enough and I felt terrible when I started ISC and was too busy to spend time with him for weeks on end. Lucky Charm and grad school are so much work! I don't even sleep normally...how am I supposed to find time for him like he deserves?"

Alya sighed again. "I know what it's like to be too busy with work and school to see the one you love, but I still make time for Nino and he makes time for me around all his odd jobs. If you want to stop being horrible to Nathaniel, take up your girlfriend title again and make his next year." There was a pause as Alya tried to find the exact wording that she knew would hit home. "Unless you're trying to tell me that you're done with Nathaniel and you've moved on? That you don't feel anything for him anymore and you're just using him because you're a horny, twenty-two year old French woman?"

Her head shot up in annoyance, face red, but smothered the irritation at the coy twitch of Alya's brow. Her mouth opened and snapped shut, eyes looking down.

"Well? Are you over him?"

Her jaw clenched, feelings raging inside. She wasn't going to lie, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. Her head shook a little.

Alya sat back, lips twitching. Whenever Marinette went on a pity party, it was best to listen for a bit and then make her face facts. She had found that to be the most effective, fastest way to get her head out of her ass...at least for a little while. "Alright then. So if you're not over him, figure out what you feel already and give the poor boy a proper answer. He's been more than patient with you this whole time. Honestly, if I were him in his spot, I would have said to hell with you and your treatment a long time ago, but I've kept my mouth shut quite well I think."

" _I_ _know_ _something_ _still_ _is_ _in_ _there_ _hiding_ _from_ _me._ _But_ _don't_ _think_ _you_ _can_ _let_ _it_ _hide_ _forever_ _Marinette._ _I'll_ _catch_ _it_ _and_ _then_ _I_ _won't_ _let_ _go."_

Her eyes teared and her face plopped back into her comforter to hide them. She was worse than scum, though her methods were for the right reasons.

She had been so tired of hearing how lonely she made him, too exhausted with that first year of ISC and Lucky Charm to be able to spend time with him like they had at Sorbonne for four years. Course, when you have the same basic major and most of your classes with someone, it's a lot easier to be together. When they graduated, she continued, but he didn't. His schedule opened up exponentially, but hers shrank in the opposite direction.

She had been thinking of him the entire time and ignoring her own needs. That one gesture had come back to bite her because she knew she never dealt with anything the entire time. There had been never been an opportunity to! Between seamstress work and homework, she was just too occupied to sort everything out and if she had even made the right decision. His insistence to stay in her life allowed him as friends...which became more beneficial than either of them ever thought would happen.

There was a quiet jingle from somewhere in Alya's purse which thankfully derailed the already derailed issue at hand. "That's my alarm." Alya reported, standing to turn it off. A hand dug into her bag and clicked one of the buttons on the side of her phone, leaving it in its confines. "You've had your cry and your pity party; we're going to be late."

She sat up and looked as Alya went for her coat. "Is it that time already?"

Alya smirked her way. "If you weren't so busy pitying yourself, you'd see that you used quite a bit of time crying about the same thing yet again."

She scowled at that, but quickly stood and went for her outside wear. "At least this should jog me from my mood." She mumbled, throwing a hat over her hair. "I haven't seen Nino in...how long HAS it been anyway?"

"Probably too long for your friendship to still remain in tact." Alya shouldered her purse and stared at her friend. "Thankfully, Nino is just as busy as you are so he doesn't mind much." Without another word, the pair headed for the door and the main one downstairs.

The walk included two bus stops in order to get to the usual cafe the pair stopped at. The smells of cooked food and coffee hit the second the door was open. It was slightly busy for such a small area and took a second to find the back of Nino's head, which was difficult with the hat he had on.

The blond back of hair was new...

"I didn't know he was bringing a friend..." Alya mumbled, thoughtfully frowning.

She was about ready to ask questions when Alya wrapped an arm through hers and tugged her in the direction the table was at. "He brought company?" She asked, finally locking eyes on Nino's black glasses. Her face lit up and she waved, stopping dead in her tracks when Nino's friend looked over.

WHAT?!

Alya stumbled when there was a strong force keeping her from finishing the distance. "What are you doing?" She asked, blinking in confusion at the look of panic staring past her. "Hey...what's the matter with you?" A hand waved in Marinette's face when there was no answer. "Hey...earth to Marinette."

Every muscle had turned to stone long ago; her face unable to remain its normal color or her eyes their normal size. She was vaguely aware of Alya's attempts to get her to move out of the way of other customers, but only shuffled a few steps closer.

Why...why...just...why?! What in the earth was Nino doing sitting at a table with Adrien Agreste?! And why was SHE going to join it?! How was this possible?! No...her head was playing tricks on her...this couldn't be real. She was NOT going to be sitting at a table in an open cafe with the son of a rich designer whom she wanted to be like one day!

"Okay, move your feet. One foot in front of the other." Alya ordered, having let go to put her hands on Marinette's shoulders from behind. "Let's go; you're blocking traffic here."

She suddenly started resisting the urge to go closer. No! This wasn't going to happen! She didn't have her makeup on! She wasn't wearing even slightly nice clothes! The knitted hat and glove set were just a basic pattern!

She quickly looked back and dug her heels in when Alya's attempts succeeded in getting her one table over. "Let me go!" She hissed, feeling trapped. "Stop pushing me over there!"

"Then move of your own accord!"

"Hey Marinette! Long time no see!"

She jumped when Nino stood and headed over, not feeling happy as she had been to see him right now. She didn't look his way when he draped an arm over her shoulders. She barely heard anything he had to say, too focused on the table she was getting nearer to since he was doing a much better job of moving her than her friend.

Alya sat down first with a huff and shake of her head. "I don't know what's gotten into her, but I hate when she does that." She ignored Nino plopping Marinette down next to her and turned to the companion across the table. A hand stuck out, smile on her face. "Alya Cesaire. And you are?"

He jumped and looked to the tanned skin hovering in between them. "Seriously? Sweet, I never get to do this!" A huge smile burst through as he quickly took the warm skin within his own. "Adrien Agreste. Nice to meet you."

Alya held his hand, eyes on him. She took in his features again, noticing for the first time how really good-looking he was. His smile was killer, his green eyes sharp. He could give almost any man in Paris, in most of Europe, a run for their money. The clothes he had on looked stylish and she wondered at the label.

Something ticked in her brain at the name and she looked to her right to the statue sitting next to her before going back at Adrien. Her eyes widened a little, mouth slipping open, as she looked to Marinette again. Her mouth twisted into a smirk so evil, she felt the trouble ooze out of her.

"Nice to meet you too, Adrien." She finally finished, hand slipping back. She crossed her arms in front of her on the table and leaned over them. "I've been indoctrinated enough to recall the name, but haven't read enough magazines to know the face."

Adrien smiled. "That's not necessarily a problem."

"It's not for me. My dull-witted friend on the matter," She cracked, elbow slipping over and digging in quite harshly, "has seen more than enough of you for the two of us."

Adrien looked over, ignoring Nino as he got comfortable in the chair, coffee in one hand. "Oh?" He gave a good-natured smile, trying to disarm the wide eyes pinning him where he sat. "Is that right?"

Her brain had shut down and there was no picking it back up. She couldn't think of two syllables, let alone one word to stop embarrassing herself like this. She was vaguely aware she was starting to make the situation uncomfortable, but first she had to get the extensive heat off her face!

"Is she star struck?" Nino butt in, grinning. He leaned in and flicked Marinette on the forehead. "You? You've got to be kidding me!"

She gave a cry of pain as a hand flew up to the site of injury. It thankfully broke the spell and she glared across the way. "I don't see you for months and THAT'S how you greet me? I think I'll undue your Noel present when I get back to my dorm."

Nino sat back, unperturbed. "No, no...I prefer a new set of whatever it is that you're making. I'm pretty sure it's to replace whatever else I'm wearing down that Alya's reported to you."

She smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Feeling more than left out and hoping to start better a second time around, Adrien stuck his hand out with a disarming smile on his face. The look he just got reminded him of way too many freshman he passed every day and it wasn't something he wanted to deal with right now. "You make things? What is it you make Mademoiselle..."

She was suddenly reminded of the proper greeting she hadn't given yet and her shoulders hunched up to her ears as she gingerly took his hand. She barely had the strength to return the shake, face blazing again. "I...make...things..." She squeaked out, almost whispering.

He leaned in. "What?"

"She makes things." Alya supplied, rolling her eyes. An arm draped over Marinette's shoulders, eyes on Adrien. "She's got her own business too and we're all so proud of her." Fingers came up and playfully squeezed Marinette's lips together.

"Alya!" She managed, struggling.

"You're such a little genius aren't you, Mademoiselle ISC."

"Alya!"

He sat back, feeling amused at watching the poor girl struggle with her friend. "You go to ISC, too?" His brow furrowed, head tilting. "What's your major? I've never seen you around. How long have you been there?"

She finally shoved Alya away with a huff, feeling more than annoyed at the sudden stunt which had made her feel like a moron in front of perfection. "I...I've been there a full year now." She mumbled, eyes on the table. "I'm majoring in...Creative Industries Marketing Management..."

He hummed and leaned in. "I'm taking that after I get done with the Luxury Industries Marketing Management. How is it? Is it as boring as my current one is?"

She blinked and a brow went up. "Actually, it's been highly helpful for me with my business and I've utilized much of what I've learned in class to be even more successful."

He smiled, slightly impressed. "Oh? And what do you do again?"

She eyed him, watching as he sat back and looking more than amused. "I make things..." She mumbled again, not wanting to give her label to a world famous model. Her pitiful little business which would probably be laughed at in the face of something like Gabriel.

He propped a head up on the table. "We've established that already." He grinned. "What exactly do you make?"

The grin he had, the slight tilt of his head had her...she couldn't help but feel a little indignant at the constant question. She didn't like being patronized.

She stood from the chair and swept her arms out at her sides. She half spun for him, not moving too much from her chair in the crowded area. "This. Everything I'm wearing." A hand reached out to Alya's scarf. "This." Her finger extended out to the set of gloves near Nino. "His gloves. The hat and scarf that go with it, too." She plopped back down in the chair, mimicking his pose. "I make THINGS."

"Heeeeh? Sounds cool. I suppose that is the case if you're going to ISC." He eyed the style she had, idly critiquing it with a trained eye and finding everything well fitted to her petite frame. "Do you have anyone else with you to make your 'things'?"

"I'm a one person business. For now." Her lips tilted, looking to the table. "Maybe someday, when my label gets much more established than it is now, I'll hire someone else. For now, it's me doing all the work."

Adrien hummed again, slightly impressed. "Sounds like my dad." He sat back and smirked. "But, that's not exactly a compliment I suppose...for someone like him..."

She scoffed and didn't hide the look of disdain. "Last time I checked Monsieur, Gabriel was doing alright for itself and is still leading the world of fashion quite well. It's something for many lower level designers to aspire to."

Nino leaned in. "Actually, I've met the man and I kind of agree with Adrien." He cracked. He looked to his side. "No offense, but, your dad could use a few months off to relax."

Her arms crossed over her chest, not happy that someone she considered a goal was getting knocked on so harshly.

"Anyway." Alya butt in, knowing that look wasn't good. "That explains how you two met at least." She eyed Nino with a grin. "I thought that you picked him up from the club, like you have before with other new friends."

"You mean I'm not the first one you've done that to? I'm hurt."

"My network extends far and wide. It's a business strategy." Nino met the joking eyes next to him. "You of all people should know that."

He was looking good enough to start a photo shoot right in the cafe, but his attitude was far from what she considered him to be. She had seen so many magazines with that charming smile and didn't know how to take him right now. The slight attitude he was showing was ripping up every photo she had ever seen. The few smiles and waves she had witnessed in the hallways over the last year made him out to be much more of a gentleman than what she was seeing right now.

She didn't know if she liked what she was sitting in front of.

She didn't make much more small talk with any of them, eying him in such a way that had her becoming more disappointed the more his mouth opened. Every joke he made, every crack he had to say about the things surrounding his life was turning her off to wanting to get to know him more. The personae he portrayed was much different than his modeling one and she was starting to get the feeling that it'd be better to just get up and leave, never to see much more of him like this.

She felt so disillusioned.

"I'm going to get some coffee." Alya mentioned, standing. A hand rested on Marinette's shoulder after she did so. "Want some with me?"

She looked down when all male eyes were on her and nodded. She quickly snatched her purse up and headed to the counter with her friend, feeling grateful for the save. "Thanks."

Alya looked away from the menu for a second. "What for?"

"For letting me get coffee with you."

A brow rose. "You're free to get coffee with me anytime girl." Alya finally looked over, confusion mounting. Her eyes roamed over the small face, seeing a frown. "What's the matter?"

She quickly gave the order, followed by Alya, and went for her wallet. How did she put it?

"I know that look." A hand came out and lightly slapped her cheek. "You're getting the 'new people critique' thing going on again." Alya frowned. "Don't do that. You get to meet a real life model amidst that school you go to. Take this chance and ask questions about the business. Don't screw this up."

Her lips tightened as she took the coffee and stared at it. Alya clicked her tongue and quickly drug her back to the table. There was no time to enjoy the coffee as both drinks were put on the surface, though Alya wouldn't let her sit down.

"Girl business to attend to. We'll be back in a moment." Without another word, Alya drug them both in another direction, visible irritation on her face.

Adrien blinked and looked to the only other one who knew what may be going on. "I didn't think such a thing existed..." He eyed Nino's face and the humor in his tone died a little. "Am I a problem by being the new guy?"

Nino sighed and looked the way both females headed off to. Having something of a clue to what was going on, especially after being witness to the last thirty minutes, he had an inkling he knew what was going to happen next, but hoped he was wrong.

Adrien watched Nino's hand snake across the table and snag one of the coffees. "Is that allowed?" He dared ask, watching Nino sip it.

"I'm betting it's going to be. Hate to let it go to waste..." Nino mumbled around the rim. "If she gets mad at me, I'll pay her back, but something tells me she won't mind."

What felt like ten minutes later finally got the return of Alya and just Alya. The pair watched her sit down and look to Nino, finding the cup in his hands. She quietly nodded and went for her own drink, taking a long sip.

"She doesn't mind?" Nino piped up, brows going up in question.

Alya's mouth opened, snapped closed, and opened again with a sigh that spoke of things going on that weren't necessary for the bathroom. "She...had an emergency exit." She mumbled, still irritated with her friend. "She realized she forgot something at the dorm that needed to be taken care of." A hand came up and went through her hair, clearly agitated.

He watched the exchange, mind whirling. It was such a cliche move and he finally got to witness it.

A sense of unhappiness went through him, Nino's earlier promises of meeting "some cool new people" making him feel slightly cheated. He mentally told himself he shouldn't be surprised considering the entire last half hour's reaction and lack of conversation. It was a common reaction and part of him was more than used to it, but the other half wished people would get over it and talk to him.

He looked to his hands, wishing he had something to toy with in his discomfort. "I guess I'm not for everybody." He muttered, lightly running a hand through his hair. He suddenly chuckled when a thought came to him. "Cinderella never even introduced herself either."

"I apologize for my friend's behavior." Alya quickly piped up, eyes chagrined. "She's...been having a tough week with...multiple things. Since you go to the same school, you know how hard it can be. Plus, she runs her own business around school hours and pretty much pays her own way. Noel orders may be stressing her out."

He felt like it was a white lie, even if it did make him feel a little better. "Well, if I have a chance to see her in the hallway after Noel, I guess I can say hi once the stress has lifted. I guess I know what it's like whenever there's a runway show due soon."

Nino clapped a hand over his back. "Don't let it get to you man. She's just not good with new people sometimes. She can be...kinda judgmental. But, she's a great person once you get to know her..."


	14. How to cause a confrontation

" _She's_ _a_ _great_ _person_ _once_ _you_ _get_ _to_ _know_ _her..."_

That line had been stuck in his head for the last few days. He wasn't going to lie; from what he saw directed at her friends instead of him made him curious at how she would hold a conversation with him. She did seem like a nice person and he was always in the market for more friends. He didn't want to give up on her just because his status got in the way.

Most of the times going to and from class had him looking around a little more to see jet black hair of someone that was a head shorter than he was. There were a few times he thought he spied Cinderella, as he had come to call her, walking into a classroom, but he never had the opportunity to get to her and stop her. He was either heading to another class himself, or found she had sped out from hers to anywhere else that she had to be next.

Sometimes he thought he had seen her, but there was either a cap on her head or a pair of glasses on that hid her appearance enough that he couldn't see who she was.

There were a few times when he saw the back of her head that something tickled his memory.

It wasn't anything major. It was like he had a piece to a puzzle which he hadn't been able to figure out for a long while, but he didn't know where to put the clue. Any time he saw Cinderella, especially the top of her head or a peek of her eyes, he would get the feeling. He never could give it much time because he was always rushing to class, or home, or some photo shoot. By the time he cared to try and remember it, the feeling was gone or he was too tired to care.

It wasn't until his "late night watch" when a big piece of the puzzle was given to him.

Having seen the entire face close up, then seeing the side of her face through his dorm window like he was, put everything together.

" _I'm majoring in...Creative Industries Marketing Management..."_

" _I make things..."_

" _I'm a one person business."_

The mannequin. The late hours. The huge amount of bolts of cloth and half-made clothing he always saw. The black hair. The blue eyes...ASIAN blue eyes...

It was her! The realization struck him with a clarity that had him actually stupefied for probably five minutes as he idly watched her move around a mannequin as she worked. The more he watched, the more certain he became...and the more he really wished he could throw the window open in that very second and yell across the way for her to shut the lights off and go to bed!

But...he could always wait and talk to her tomorrow...

How to broach such a subject though? After a week of seeing her in the hallway with not one word from her, though not because she was purposely avoiding him, he wondered if she even remembered he existed. It would be too abrupt to just walk up to her in between classes and start a conversation over this.

Perhaps it was time to pull her aside so he could get a name and finally tell her to stop keeping him up so late...

He watched her work and mentally critiqued the piece she was making. Her sense of style and color selection was good, as it had been since he started watching, and he wondered about her business. What was its name? Who did she sell to? What distribution did she buy from? Considering she said she was just a one person show, she probably had no actual stores she was working with. That must mean she had some kind of website to sell on because he always saw her up late, especially now.

Now that Noel was only a month away.

A hand rubbed his eyes. He didn't want to wait until she finally finished her extensive gift lists to get some sleep! He knew what it was like from living at home around holiday orders with his father. He had heard enough of his father staying up till maybe two in the morning on occasions to make sure enough cloth was ordered for production. The noise his father made always woke him up at least once.

Speaking of two a.m...

He groaned and headed back to bed, flopping on the mattress in his robe. This was insane! He couldn't exactly move his dorm room since the semester was already started, especially since there wasn't a good cause to do so, but he couldn't take this shit anymore! Odds of her staying up this late every night till Noel was done were too high for his liking!

He was going to have to approach her and try to get her to buy black-out curtains, or buy them for her himself...or something!

The question was...what exactly did he say that didn't make him look like a peeping tom this whole time?

01010

It took a few more days of trying to figure out exactly how to approach her without her running away again, get her name so he knew what to actually call Cinderella, and then tell her to stop messing with his sleeping schedule. He knew the only way she'd believe him was with evidence, so he took notes of the items she had been making the last few days. Pictures would make him seem worse than he was, even though he wasn't at fault here. He had practiced a few ice breakers on the subject, but was not confident in the slightest that she wasn't going to call campus security on him over this.

There were too many problems with finally attempting to get past this issue which had been plaguing him for so many months. If he wanted to do this the right way and not rush things, which would cause more issues and not get resolved, he needed time from her and himself. He had no idea as to when her schedule opened up. Planning around his free time might be problematic for her. He wanted this done asap, but feared it may take another week or two to set this up.

Aside from that, one of the biggest headaches was how to not make him seem like a stalker in the tabloids. If she wanted to report this, she could very easily cause a rumor in every magazine in Paris. He didn't know her well enough to assume she wouldn't use it to her business's advantage.

" _She's just not good with new people sometimes. She can be...kinda judgmental."_

That's what worried him the most and kept him hesitant any time he saw her in the hallway during those few days. He didn't want his father giving him an earful for a very innocent situation.

Course...he didn't have to watch her as long as he did...

He'd be lying to himself if he said he wasn't curious at all. Her talent was admirable, her sense of style unique in a good way, and what he had seen of her looks pulled him in too.

Perhaps it was because he only saw glimpses of those beautiful eyes that he wanted to see more. It started as basic human curiosity and had morphed into something more genuine over the months. He was always annoyed in the initial moments, but it melted away as he watched her work. Sometimes he even had to tear himself away from her drive in order to get sleep for what he didn't want to do the next day.

How did he even convey such things to her without getting slapped?

Mentally agonizing over it like he had been wasn't getting him anywhere and he was starting to get fed up with himself over his own hesitation. He finally decided after class to just pull her aside, their schedules be damned, and get this hashed out to some degree. If he was lucky, she wouldn't act like she did the first time they formally met and he could get further with this.

Too bad there was a crowd he didn't consider.

The second his hand latched onto the crook of her elbow to keep her from entering the classroom, he almost knocked her into a wall as someone else bumped into him from behind. He quickly steadied himself with the wall to keep from injuring her, muttering apologies as he pulled her away from her destination.

Her head explode a little when she saw who the culprit was and then the stuttering happened.

She didn't think she'd ever see him again! Why was he attempting to talk to her again? She figured she'd cut that line before it ever started in on a road she didn't care to traipse down. She finally pulled away from him when her brain engaged and realized he was still holding onto her.

"I have to get to class." She mumbled, face heating a little. She was annoyed at herself for her heartbeat speeding up and looked down.

"I just need a quick second of your time." He rushed, eyes jerking around at the few giggling underclassmen passing them. He focused on her, wondering how many seconds they had left. A hand ran through his hair in agitation. "I need to know when you're free next. I need to talk to you."

Part of her brain melted. No way! It was too cliche! Her mouth dropped open, eyes as wide as they could go. She managed a few "Ah's" in her attempt to speak, but only looked like a dying fish out of water.

He had the decency to blush as he suddenly heard his own words. "I never got to speak with you the first time we met and there's...something I need to tell you." His hands waved in front of him, suddenly wishing he could run away. He just wasn't that good with people outside of business and it was really showing right now! "I'm not asking you out!" He rushed, feeling mortified. "I recently figured out that I knew you from...somewhere. I kind of...have a request...of you..." He trailed off, unable to get his tongue to format what he had planned in his head.

This was too complicated!

She blinked, totally confused at the change in topic. She was slightly relieved he wasn't wanting to date her, for more than the obvious reason, but was unsure about this odd conversation. "A request?" She looked to the room and found the teacher standing in front of the class. "Just tell me and I'll look into it. I don't have time for anything else right now! You're making me late!"

He folded. "I...I can't. It's too complicated to go into. Can you meet me somewhere later today? I'll go into detail then."

She sighed and looked to her phone, mind whirling. She had orders to get done and homework to finish! "I can spare thirty minutes around four." She groused, not happy that she was being taken away from work.

He grinned. "I'll be done with class at three thirty. I'll wait for you in front of the sign at the corner of Avenue de la Porte d'Asnieres."

She knew where that was. She walked by it all the time whenever she rounded the corner from the dorms. "Alright. Fine." She didn't bother saying goodbye as she whipped around and hurried in, face blazing as she rushed into class.

01010

The chill of the afternoon had her wonder why she agreed to meet him outside, when it should have been in some warm cafe across the street. Hell, there was an internationally famous coffee shop two blocks away that she used sometimes!

Walking out of the doors and wrapping the scarf around herself just a little tighter, she mumbled curses at the cold as she headed where he was. She mentally wondered if he waited inside for most of the time and then headed out. Even if she was annoyed at having to do this, she didn't want him getting sick on her account.

Finding him rosy cheeked and red-nosed, found he must have been waiting for at least ten or fifteen minutes.

She stopped a short distance away, well in range to see him, but still within the crowd that she could hide in. He was clad in obvious Gabriel wear, looking ready to start a photo shoot any second, even with his hair blowing around like it was. She mentally shook herself when he locked eyes on her and started over.

He smiled when she neared, feeling his heart rate go up. "Thanks for meeting me." He greeted, getting more nervous as the seconds went by.

She looked to the street and focused on the rushing traffic of the busy lane next to them. "I've got thirty minutes that are yours." She mumbled, face heating up. "What did you need?"

He cleared his throat and put a hand on her arm. "It'd be easier if I show you. It's...kind of hard to explain."

She mentally sighed, but started the trek with him. This whole thing was starting to sound fishy and not worth her time, but she had no idea what a country-renowned model had to do with her.

They stopped in between the two dorms. "I don't know how to say this without things getting all weird and it's too hard to explain. I've tried to find the proper way to say this, but I still haven't found this out yet." She looked at him when he pointed to one side. "See that room right there?"

She looked at the carbon copy of every floor, of both buildings. "Yea. What's so special about it?"

"That's my dorm." He muttered, blood rushing through his ears.

She stared at it, wondering what he was insinuating. Her face flared at the thought of her knowing where he slept and showered, subtly taking a step away from him. "A – and?" She stuttered, trying not to look at him. "What does this have to do with your request? And how you say you know me?"

A hand rubbed the back of his neck, his mouth dry. He'd rather do the winter catalog practice all over again instead of this! "Ah...well...I became aware of you...a little while ago...some months ago..." He pointed to her dorm, face burning up. "You live...up there...right?"

A brow rose as she looked to her window, not getting what he was trying to get at. She stared at her room for what felt like forever, then turned her head over to his. She looked back to her room and back to his for a moment.

It took another moment to realize they were on the same floor. With her OPEN window in plain view of his.

Her head whipped from his room to hers a few more times, eyes slowly widening. Her mouth dropped open, something akin to a strangled noise escaping.

He had a really bad feeling things were going to take a sharp downhill turn in about three seconds and knew if he didn't rush to smooth things over that she was going to do something bad. "It's not what you think! Whatever it is!" He rushed, taking a step for her. Her wide-eyed gaze whipped to him and she took a few steps back. "You keep working until all hours of the night and you leave your damn curtains wide open! Your light shines into my room and I can't get any sleep! I can't use black-out curtains because I sleep through my alarm and then miss my class! I wanted you to see so you'd know! I can get you some curtains to block out the light!"

"You've been spying on me?!" She shrieked, mind comprehending nothing else. She clutched at her bag, shoulders hunched defensively. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Your light shines into my room!" He reiterated, slightly panicking and feeling annoyed all at once. Month's worth of irritation rushed through him. He gratefully embraced the pissed off dorm student scenario as opposed to feeling like a peeping tom. "If you're not going to get sleep like a normal person because of your business, then at least close the shades!"

"You asshole!" She screamed, mind blindly switching to Mandarin.

He startled, glaring back. "Don't call me that!" He responded, easily matching her language.

Her rage took a nosedive as he countered in her mother's native tongue. She stared at him like an idiot, unable to pick her brain up for what felt like forever. How did he know Mandarin?! Thankfully, her brain redirected her to the matter at hand and reengaged.

Her finger jabbed him in the chest, eyes icy blue. "I have half a mind to call the police on you!" She continued, still using Mandarin. It was probably the safest bet, since he was probably the only one who knew what she was saying right now. If she ended up causing a scene, it would be a very confusing one at least. "How dare you spy on me! What I do in my room is my own business! How long has this been going on?"

He looked away and cleared his throat. "A...while..." He mumbled, still matching her.

Her eyes closed to slits. "How long is 'a while'?" She spat out, arms snaking closed over her chest.

He tried to think of how long it'd been exactly. "Probably...a year..."

A year. One year. Three hundred and sixty-five days. However many countless hours and even more minutes.

Her head exploded.

At that second, she should have continued her tirade and kept screaming at him in the middle of their dorm buildings until someone was alerted to the screech of her voice and told the main desk. He had been watching her somehow, someway from his window into hers for an entire year! That gave her the right to press charges and prosecute his ass if she so wanted to...but all she could do was stare at him in complete befuddlement.

Her stare was unnerving him greatly. They were yelling at each other in a public place in a language he hoped no one else understood and mentally prayed this didn't end up in the papers tomorrow.

He kept his hands ready to raise in case her bag went swinging at his head. "I...I didn't do it on purpose!" He stammered, then mentally shook his head. "Okay...I didn't in the beginning. You kept waking me up when I needed sleep really badly and I didn't know what the hell was going on! I was curious to know who kept annoying me so much, but I couldn't see your face! At first...at least. Then I saw what you were working on and being so close to the business myself, I saw your eye for detail and saw how good you were. You...kind of...had my curiosity peeked... I – I...was interested...in you..."

His ramblings only partially made their way through her brain. Everything he added to undig his way out of the hole he had made only brought her reaction in a totally different direction.

He had been observing her simply because she woke him up by being awake at normal sleeping hours and because of that, he watched her sew on her mannequin. For a year. In his room to hers.

When one side thought struck her, she knew she should be flattered by this. She had done nothing except work on the thing she wanted to get off the ground and because of that, she had unintentionally gained an admirer. Of her work? Of her? She didn't bother to gather information because she was still processing the fact that his ramblings were in perfect Mandarin and he was using really polite speech top of that.

He stared at her, not wanting to say anything else to try and make the situation worse than it was. The fact that she was stone, face passive, made him want to freak out. At the very least, he hoped to be able to walk away from this and get his homework done tonight. At the most, he wanted to be able to reconcile this mess and get past it so she would not only close her windows, but finally introduce herself to him!

Whether he expected friendship after this debacle or not would be too much to ask, but he could at least say hi to her in the hallway without getting slapped or yelled at.

She had no words to respond. She really didn't. Any effort to form words in either Mandarin or French was too much work. All she wanted to do was go into her dorm, close the curtains, and get her sewing started! It'd probably been the allotted thirty minutes and she had heard his request. It was simple, but the road she was forced to take was full of potholes.

She would have rather hurried into class hours ago and not listened to him in order to remain blissfully unaware of this situation. Even if it meant leaving her window wide open for however long until this did actually happen. So long as she could remain blind to the fact that a famous European model found her, or at least her work, slightly intriguing.

Her face flamed.

He jumped when she stumbled back and attempted words, mixing both languages together. The step he took toward her only caused her keep backing away until she stumbled and ended up on the grass. He wanted to offer her a hand, but she kept boring wide-eyes into the frozen ground, jeans soaking up the small lining of snow.

He forced himself to be a gentleman and extended a hand down, but she flinched away. He stubbornly kept it there, not wasting this chance to do anything to make up for this issue. He didn't have anything to say to soothe her emotions, having caused the mess in the first place.

He suddenly became aware of anything outside the bubble they had created, finding a few students staring at them through their windows from the lowest floors of both buildings. His head ducked down in embarrassment, wondering how long they'd had an audience.

She stared at the leather glove, noting how perfect a brown it was and the proper stitch technique it had. It fit him perfectly and some part of her bet he had someone take measurements of his fingers to get just the right amount of fabric. They were probably part of a photo shoot and that's why he looked like he stepped out of a catalog. All of his clothes were more than likely tailored for him by some personal seamstress.

Speaking of tailored clothes...

She didn't need this aggravation right now! She wanted the simplicity and noise of her sewing machine and pin cushion! She couldn't take this right now and didn't want to deal with him! She had enough issues with Nathaniel and that last problem which she still hadn't addressed with him.

Gloved hands pressed into her eyes at that thought. The last thing she needed was to get even more complicated with a guy she didn't care to get to know simply because he lived across the way from her! She loudly groaned as the only thing she could do.

"I'm sorry for this." He quickly replied, kneeling down when she still didn't stand. He leaned in, hoping she would look at him. He still spoke in Mandarin. "I didn't know how to address this and I didn't know who you were. I couldn't just knock on your door out of the blue and ask you to close the curtains without you calling the police on me. It was a simple misunderstanding."

"For a year?!" She squeaked, eyes watering behind her gloves. The whole thing was crashing down on her from every angle and all she could think was that a very handsome, highly unknown person was extremely close to her.

"I -" He cleared his throat, then promptly pulled her gloves away. She was too stunned to put up a fight and stared at him with wide, watery eyes. "Yes. For a year. I admit it. I watched your talent, I watched you, for a year. Late at night, from my room. There is no way to keep that from sounding creepy or highly romantic. I'm not a stalker, no matter what you may think. I didn't know how to tell you this and it took me a week to even approach you. I'm just a normal college guy who is not good with people."

"Who happens to be internationally famous." She grit out, face hot.

"That's my father's doing. I didn't ask for that." He mumbled, partly to himself.

She bristled at that, mouth opening to defend Gabriel to him, but clamped her mouth shut. She didn't need this right now!

She jerked her hands back, finalizing everything and having had enough. She jolted to her feet and dusted her pants off, backing away as he also stood. "Your thirty minutes are up." She evenly replied. "I'll close the windows, hell I'll MAKE my own curtains, so I don't inconvenience you anymore." She turned away, hugging her coat to herself. "We're done. Goodbye."

"Hey! I said I'm sorry!" He grabbed an arm, but she jerked him off. "I didn't mean to...I really didn't!"

She grit her teeth, picking up her pace. "Stop following me! Go back to your own dorm; I won't inconvenience you anymore! You'll be able to get a good night's sleep from here on out!"

"You're just ignoring the situation!" He insisted, his stride more than able to keep up with her.

Why was he following her when the smarter part of his brain told him to cut his losses and leave it at that? Probably because the whole thing left a bad taste in his mouth and he didn't want to be known like this to someone he might possibly be friends with. If she was Nino's friend and he was Nino's friend, odds of them meeting in the future were good. He didn't want her to ignore him later if he could fix this now.

"What can I do to make this up to you?" His hand came out when she made to pull the main door open. "Just tell me and I'll make it happen."

She tried to melt the glass with her stare so she could escape through it. Damn it! Why didn't he just go away?

She finally whipped around to him and poked his chest. "Just leave me alone!" She cried out, more than frustrated. "You've pretty much ruined my day and the rest of my week to the point of me not being able to get any work done without knowing you were staring at me the whole time! I have bills to pay and money to make! I don't want to be thinking about some fellow college student, who just happens to be a MODEL if you hadn't noticed, spending however many hours being interested in my work! Lame excuse by the way!"

He took a step back, face heating up. She took that opportunity to rush in through the door and take off at breakneck speed to the stairs leading to her room.

Following her in would have a worse effect than what he wanted to leave. He allowed her to run away, wanting to tear out his perfectly done hair over this whole thing.

"What a fine mess this is..." He mumbled in French, hands covering his face.

He should just cut his losses. Maybe with time, she'd get past this and be cordial to him in the future...maybe. If they happened to spend time together via Nino and Alya, he could make small talk and pointedly not ask questions about her work.

He suddenly stared at the door, scoffing at something that just occurred to him. "She still didn't give me a name..." He muttered, slapping a hand against his forehead. All he could do was laugh at the fact that Cinderella would still remain Cinderella for probably forever.


	15. Not going away just yet

Grad school was hard enough on a twenty-two year old student. Homework was never-ending, job prospects were still so far away, and she didn't get to spend enough time with the ones she loved. Drama was totally unnecessary and unwanted.

Especially from the one practically going into hysterics in her ear right now.

"I can't believe this! I can't stand up Alya; I'm hiding under my window! What if he's watching me right now?! I closed the curtains, but they're just the standard white that everyone gets! He might still be able to see me during the day! What am I going to do?! I can't concentrate on anything right now! I can't sew because it reminds me of him watching me! For a year! I had sex with Nathaniel some of those late nights! Oh my god, I didn't close the window! He probably saw it all! Oh my god I'm totally freaked out right now!"

A hand rubbed her eyes under her glasses with a sigh. This was the last thing she needed to deal with, as intriguing as it was.

When the tirade was done and she figured there was a second to speak, she moved the phone closer to her ear. "Let me get this straight." She mumbled, idly looking to the books around her on the bed. "You're complaining that a hot, young French man has been observing you and whatever you've been working on across the way for a long time and might just possibly be interested in you as a person?"

Pause. "You don't have to make it sound like that..."

"I'll make it sound however I want to." She curtly replied, flopping back on the bed. A hand tossed the pencil in the vague direction of her books, though she heard it bounce off the wood floor below. "It's been twenty minutes already and you've barely stopped ranting to let me get a word in. Had I known this was going to be awaiting me, I would have never picked up the phone so I could get my work done."

"Alyaaaaaa..."

"Don't whine at me. This is really weird, I'll admit, but it's your fault because you never did close the curtains. They're there for your privacy you know!"

"But I left them open during the day so I didn't have to turn the lights on and save on electrical expenses!"

"And at night?" She countered, brow going up.

"I forgot! You know how I get so busy that I forget anything else outside of my immediate area! Plus, with as late as I go to bed, I needed the morning light to wake me up!"

"Well, you're going to have to figure something else out because I assume you'll be making those curtains like you told me?"

"Of course I am! I don't want him knowing anything else about me! He's already seen more than I ever wanted him to know! Ugh...how did I get into this?! I don't need this kind of issue right now when I haven't even dealt with Nathaniel!"

She sat up, mouth dropping open. "You mean you haven't talked to him about your feelings yet?"

Marinette paused, feeling a slight impending doom creep up her spine at the tone. Her shoulders slowly hunched to her ears. "No...?"

She shot to her feet and started pacing the room. "Do you mean to tell me you're letting that poor boy stew in his own emotions over you merely because you've been busy with school? That's not an excuse!" A hand slammed over her hip before randomly waving in the air. "What is wrong with you?! Go apologize for turning him upside down yet again! It's been over a week! Two by now, hasn't it?"

A hand nervously scratched her hair, the previous issue forgotten for the one before this. "P – probably..." She mumbled.

Alya's head drooped, a hand slapping her forehead. "You...you're just... I can't even find the right words to call you right now." She plopped down on the bed, cradling her head with her free hand. "You're absolutely terrible! I'm going to hang up on you and this random situation you've stupidly placed yourself in, which has a very easy ending to it by the way, and then you're going to find out what Nathaniel is doing and have a frank discussion about you two!"

Blue eyes looked to the floor as she shuffled the legs closer to her chest. She was unable to say anything to the clear order which left no room for argument. "B – but -"

"Right now! And the only thing I want to hear out of your mouth next time is that you either worked things out or you shut him down and let him get on with his life! Then you're going to make those curtains and get on with your own life like an adult! Got it?"

"Yes...Madame..." She mumbled.

There wasn't even a "goodbye" before the line went dead. She let the hand holding the phone drape over her knees as she stared at the main door across the way.

At this time of the afternoon, he was probably working on dinner or some art. Or maybe he was at the gallery he liked to frequent. His life was pretty simple compared to hers and she longed to switch with him right now.

Nathaniel Kurtzburg. She really wanted to be next to him to relax in his soothing, quiet presence and get back to her life before Adrien Agreste had thrown her for a loop. She thought of red hair and beautiful soft eyes, part of her wanting him to hold her for as long as her conscious would allow.

She sighed at that and clunked her head against the wall. What was wrong with her? Alya was right! She needed to go over what her issues were and talk to him once and for all!

That was the problem though...

The "issue" had been plain as day for a year now, but she had been avoiding dealing with it for that long because of some unknown fear she hadn't even pondered. Whether it was the future she didn't want to know, or his change in emotions, or perhaps hers, she didn't know. She just wanted to turn the clock back two or three years so she could go back to being Nathaniel's model at Sorbonne with all her other friends surrounding them.

Graduate school was hard enough on a twenty-two year old student. Owning one's own business and claiming she could use that as a means to get through ISC was draining enough. She knew it was a much wiser option to get financial help from her parents, but she couldn't rely on them forever, no matter how kind they were. She had done more than enough of that in borrowing money to pay for supplies, which they never let her pay back so many years ago. After all those times of attempting to repay them in vain, ending up saving that for grad school during Sorbonne, she felt like she owed it to them a little to make the business a success for their help in getting it off the ground.

Hands covered her face with a sigh. There were so many orders to get out, but she was too frazzled right now to bother concentrating on them. If she didn't, they would end up junk and she'd throw all that hard work and time in the trash. She needed to get going if she wanted her business to continue into the new year, but knew that focusing on the issues at hand would be for the best. Clearing everything out emotionally might be the hardest in the immediate run, but in the long run, it would be worth it.

Even though she wanted to delve into her job and forget all about these boy troubles, she had been doing that quite a bit over the last year as it was and she had to stop this.

Nothing was ever going to get accomplished if she didn't take action. It had to be right now because she had let things fester again like they always had. She perhaps knew deep down how she felt and was just scared that she couldn't live up to her own expectations of her relationship with Nathaniel. She knew he'd forgive her for their lack of time together, as he always had, but she didn't want to put him through that for the next two years. Though he might be fine with it, so long as he could be with her, it wasn't fair to him. Even if he didn't want to let go of her to live his life or find someone else to love, she had to at least give him that opportunity and tell him to not worry about her. They were at the friendship stage for the last year which both had agreed on. SHE had complicated things by taking the easy way out last year, so it was probably best to straighten out the mess she had made.

As selfish as it sounded, she had to be honest with her feelings and hope that after two years, if he still wanted to be with her, she would accept him fully into her life. It was stupid to say such a thing since it didn't really end anything, but it was something of a resolve for him, if not her. He could be more open and she could focus on her business and school. Once one major hurdle was cleared, she would have that space to devote to him like he deserved.

With a resolute nod, she stood and got her coat on. Calling wasn't even a thought in her mind; she would go to him and show him her sincerity. She needed to be next to him to make him understand and then be able to control herself enough to walk away from him in order to show him how serious she was. She could do this...she could!

She shrieked as she opened the door and found out she wasn't alone.

"What are you doing here?!" She demanded, shrinking back into her dorm.

He shot out a hand for the door to keep her from locking herself in. He pulled back when she attempted and shoved his foot in the way to help keep the door from breaking this second chance. "You never introduced yourself." He replied, ignoring her odd look.

She blinked, the resolve she just had evaporating into nothing. "What?! What are you talking about?"

He pulled the door open to her detriment, sighing when she tried to close it and yanked it open a little wider. "After you ran away like I was going to kill you, I realized that I couldn't apologize to someone whose name I didn't even know. Considering how easy it was to find the place, I simply had to make myself come up here and wait to see if I should knock on your door. You happened to come out first." A blond brow rose. "Oh...and I could pretty much hear you yelling through the door you know. Thanks."

She jolted and shuffled behind the wood as if for safety. Her face flamed and her head ducked. How humiliating! How much had he heard her spew to Alya?!

He let her stew in her own emotions for a few seconds before sticking his free hand out to get her attention. He bypassed everything and gave a good-natured smile, wanting to do what this weeks ago. "Is it too late to start over, Cinderella?"

Her eyes kept looking from his face to his hand, confusion mounting and feeling all turned around about this. "Cin...derella?"

He grinned. "I have to call you that because I still don't know your name and you keep leaving like Cinderella at midnight when things are in the middle of the party."

He came back for that?! She couldn't figure this out, let alone him. She escaped him the first time in an utterly lame way, hoping to not get involved with him. He butted back in, giving her a problem that she never wanted to deal with, and now he was trying to turn back the clock in order to try and be friends?

A hand covered her face. "Ugh...my head hurts..."

His brow rose as she seemed to ignore him and clonked her forehead against the door frame. He let out a snort of laughter at her behavior, giving an apologetic look when she gave him a sour look back. He relaxed a little, trying to remain loose about the whole afternoon, and tried again. "What do you say, Cinderella? I usually don't get to introduce myself to people, but I'm kind of hoping I can with you."

"I don't like being called Cinderella." She mumbled, face warming again. "I'm hardly a princess and I don't have any evil step-sisters...unless you count Alya. She can be pretty mean sometimes."

"Duly noted. Don't annoy Alya Cesaire." He cracked, grinning.

She snorted, but quickly put a hand up to make it looked like she had a cough in order to hide the smile on her face.

After a second, she let go of her grip on the knob and slowly stepped into the hallway. She looked him up and down, eyes thoughtfully narrowing. She weighed his words, every scenario since the cafe, and what he was insinuating. Her lips pressed together when he stuck out his hand again, congenial look on his face. She stared at bare skin for what felt like forever until her fingers twitched and moved on their own.

His grip was warm and firm. His hand encompassed most of hers and she couldn't get over how much smoother his skin was than hers. The effect of knitting and sewing so much made the pads of her fingertips slightly calloused. When she thought of that, she tried to pull away in embarrassment.

He didn't know what exactly was going on in her head, but when she tried to pull away again, he tightened his grip and kept her there. "Ah, ah, ah." He playfully chided, wagging a finger at her. "You can't let go until you say your name. Those are the rules."

She found herself smiling again, but unable to hide it from him. Face heating again, she looked to the wall. "M...Mari...nette Dupain...Cheng..." She mumbled.

"Adrien Agreste. Nice to meet you Marinette, formerly-known-as Cinderella."

She gave into a small giggle and pressed her lips together. She took back her hand without fuss and inched toward the door. "Okay, you have a name and I have work to do."

His head tilted. "That illustrious 'work'." He quipped, hands going into his coat pockets. "I know you told me to leave you alone, but in my quest to find ways to make it up to you, I figured that while I didn't know if you liked flowers or stuffed animals, food might work."

She looked at him like he had sprouted a second head. "You're asking to take me out to eat?" She loudly proclaimed, quickly slapping hands over her mouth. Her eyes darted down the hall as if someone had opened their doors and was eavesdropping. While the building was made of concrete, the doors were not.

He wanted to laugh. She was quite expressive and it was amusing. "Not like how you're thinking though, I assure you. Since you pay your bills by your own merit, I thought that buying you a little something to pay you back for all the emotional stress I've apparently put on you was the least I could do."

Oh he was smooth. Not only did he look it, he had the depth with words to make him dangerous. She shied away from him a little more for the door, wanting to hide all over again. "I don't have time to eat right now." She tried again, feeling lame. "I usually don't like to take a break until most of my work is done for the night."

His arms crossed, feeling like she was trying to hide something from him. It was probably none of his business, but he couldn't shake the feeling that her defenses were down after their name exchange. She had done more toward him than their first meeting and he wanted to press his luck right now. "Then where else were you going except for a bite to eat?"

She jolted and remembered the resolve which had completely fizzled the second she locked eyes with his. "Oh my god I totally forgot!" A palm slapped her forehead. "I'm such a moron! Why do I keep doing this?"

He listened to her go on and on about something she wasn't giving a subject to, becoming more confused as the seconds went on.

Was she usually like this? A few seconds ago, she seemed pretty calm and in control of herself. Now she was all over the place and mumbling to herself like he wasn't even around.

No doubt about it, she was pretty entertaining.

He cleared his throat to get her attention and tapped her on the forehead when she didn't seem to notice. He bent down to look more on her level, brows going up. "My offer of apology still stands...although it seems that you were in the midst of going somewhere else for whatever you're rambling on about. I can see that you're busy with many important things, so if you want me to go, just let me know and I'll head out for now."

Did that mean he was going to come back and try again later? She wanted to groan at the thought.

Hands covered her face with a sigh. "Busy". That was the one word she always heard from others. "We know you're busy, but...", "I know you're busy...", or "If you're not busy, maybe...". She felt horrible for leaving all her friends and ex in the dust for her workload because she always loved hanging out with them. She knew she was busy because she always threw herself into her work as part of who she was, but she sometimes regretted it for their company.

There was always a little, reproachful voice in the back of her head that lectured her when she left her friends after a spell of not seeing them. It told her to not be so distant, to not be such a workaholic, and she told herself she'd try. Nothing ever came from it because the usual homework and orders flooded in and weeks later she'd be doing the same thing again.

She suddenly stared at him. He wanted to be her friend and he lived right across the way. He was as busy as her in the exact same style of job. He wasn't her Sorbonne friends whom she dearly loved and missed for her business, but Adrien would understand if she told him she was busy and why. He knew because he was in the same line of work. He was busy, too.

Her shoulders drooped as she stared hard at the ground. She had important business to take care of. She had important words to say and a heart to possibly break, or hope to maybe give, for the next two years. She had made him wait for two weeks already and was a terrible human being for doing so this long.

However...

She had been clear and concise when she broke things off with Nathaniel last year. She told him why and remembered her words to this day. There would be nothing new to say to him and no less resolve to impart his way. He had spent the last year with her as such, in the rocky relationship they had forged. She knew that emotional upset only awaited her, on both their sides, if she walked away from this light-hearted invitation of goodwill. She could either face heartache, or go have an amusing night out with free food.

"You know what? I think I'd like to accept your apology." She stated, part of her cringing in the back of her head.


	16. A weird apologetic lunch

When she agreed to meet him outside of ISC earlier and had a thought to someplace much warmer, she didn't think they'd actually be going there that same day!

It was the cheapest thing she could think of where she could get a fairly decent meal. Plus, given that she was going to be awake for a lot longer to get those orders out, coffee was a requirement.

"I can order anything I want right?" She reiterated, eyes going from the menu to him.

"That's the plan." He answered again, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. "This is to pay you back for everything so consider the timeline and order appropriately. Don't think you're taking advantage of this in the slightest."

One year's worth of spying and watching her doing everything in her dorm. Of spending late nights with Nathaniel and possibly walking around in her underwear during the warmer months.

Her face flamed at that thought, hands covering her cheeks to hide the mortification.

He looked to the line growing behind him and tapped her head. "If you're not going to order, we should probably get out of the way so others can actually get their food while you mentally explode."

She batted his hands away and quickly looked to the board. In mere seconds, having been here before, she ordered the Lunch Box Salsa, side of fruit, and a plain espresso.

He looked at the items and then her, raising a brow. "Where do you think you're going to put all that?" He kidded, comically looking at her. He ignored whatever look she gave and added in some strangely named green tea with a chocolate croissant.

It left her before she could think. "I hope you don't think that crap is real tea." She mumbled, quickly kicking herself.

He looked to her like she had formally insulted him and tilted his head. "And what would you know about real tea, Mademoiselle?"

She snorted as they shuffled from the register toward the serving section. "My mother is from China." She retorted, pointing to the noticeable slant of her eyes. "She is very adept in real tea and the bagged crap people sell in stores is nothing more than the pitiful scraps left behind after the sorting and oxygenation process."

He leaned against the counter, switching to Mandarin on purpose. "Well, I've been to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, so I like to think I know a bit more than the average Parisian."

She didn't appreciate his tone, even if it put her in her place. She merely nodded, ears red, and looked to the wooden counter top to avoid his smug tone and matching look.

It shouldn't shock her in the slightest that he'd been to the biggest metropolises in her mother's homeland, being a model and all that. Of course his father would be interested in trying to get his label out to the Asian market as much as possible and send his son there as a representative of his company. A really good-looking French man, fully clothed in Gabriel, would have made a huge statement the second he would have stepped off the plane!

She shook her head and slapped her cheeks. 'Stop that!' She mentally ordered, squeezing her eyes shut. 'You're digging your own grave here!'

"Are you this awkward with everyone or is it just with me?"

She came from herself to look at him and cringed. He was slightly amused, slightly confused, but definitely staring at her. With those green eyes of his.

As he had been for the last year.

'Stop that!'

"Awkward?" She squeaked, trying not to hide. She hunched over the counter a little more.

"Yes. Awkward. That emotion where you don't feel comfortable with another human being for whatever reason." He dared reach a finger out and poked her forehead. "I'm fully aware of how others act around me because of my status, but you and I work in the same industry. That should give me something to work with at least."

She looked away, feeling guilty for possibly stressing him despite all that had occurred between them. She cleared her throat, fully intending on apologizing, when a person stepped toward them with their meal.

He changed the mood by taking the entire thing and holding the tray with ease. "Where to, Mademoiselle?"

She looked around, finding the place growing busier with every swing of the door, and knew they'd be standing for the whole meal if she didn't find them a spot soon. With that thought in mind, she quickly checked the area out and strode for one of the few tables left. It was a four-seater, but they could spread out and she wouldn't bump into him while eating. She didn't want to be so cloistered with him just yet...

"Excellent choice." He jovially announced, setting the tray down. He twisted her meal toward her and took his off the tray. He let her do the same before going to set it back on the counter for someone to take.

She stared at the lunch box and thought back to his earlier statement. How did she plan on eating all this and still have energy to move for the next few hours? She was going to be too full! Even if she did manage because she wasn't going to waste food, it would take more time than what she wanted to give and would cut into her work!

"Why am I so stupid?" She mewled in Mandarin, hands covering her face.

"I highly doubt that's the case." He countered, pulling his chair out. He rested his chin on his hand, looking highly amused. He matched her language for language. "The fact that you're in graduate school and paying your own way counters your statement."

"Barely paying my own way..." She mumbled, going for her utensils. "I need to get those orders done after this, but I miscalculated on the amount of food I usually eat. I won't be able to move after this is over."

He grinned and looked to his snack. "Care to switch? Regardless of what people think, models DO eat actual meals. I'm just not that hungry right now."

She snorted and gave the croissant a disdainful look. "That stuff? Please...my parents make way better." She quickly stuffed a strawberry in her mouth before she made any more horrible comments about his food choices.

She wasn't doing it on purpose, damn it!

"Are your parents cooks like Alya's? She said hers worked at a hotel."

She smiled, thinking of the smell which hadn't left her attire all of high school. "They own a bakery." She smirked as she went for her coffee. "But the name is top secret. I won't have a famous model waltz in and start something in the tabloids. Even if they may appreciate the publicity."

He grinned. "I don't mind showing my face off if it helps others. Just tell me where to be. I can always use some good snacking options."

It was hard to have the espresso over the smile she had. She couldn't get it off her face. She mentally took a step back and thought to how she avoided him weeks ago because of a few comments he had made. She didn't know who he was and judged him based on his actual personality. She was a horrible person and should apologize for being so terrible. His other actions not factoring into anything, he wasn't bad, just real. Talking with him was kind of fun actually.

Her face fell, eyes focusing on her food. "I'd like to...apologize..." She muttered after a moment, halfheartedly stabbing at the lunch box.

"Oh?" He took a sip of tea. "For this afternoon? For running away? For being awkward?"

Hands nervously put a tuft of hair behind an ear. "For...ditching you weeks ago at the cafe." She mumbled, sticking some salad in her mouth. This was hard!

He hummed in remembrance, still trying to stay silent. She looked highly uncomfortable right now and was pointedly not looking to him. He sat back and waited.

"I didn't give you a chance and I should have given you a chance. I knew of you because I'd seen you in the halls and I know your father's brand and all that, but I judged you after barely listening to you. Nino and Alya were perfectly fine with you and I should have been too. I was horrible to skip out like I did and I made Alya give lame excuses for my exit. I'm sorry for being an idiot."

He smiled and put his tea down. He patted her arm when she still wouldn't look at him and it finally got her to move. "You're not an idiot. I was told that you're a great person, just not good with new people. I suppose I could have given up, but when I started seeing the back of your head in the hallways, being the same chunk of hair that I'd been watching for a year, but it took me a while to figure it out. I feel like I know you at least a little through your work and you're a good person who works hard. You're not stupid and you'll have to try pretty hard to convince me otherwise."

She gave a shaky nod and blinked to keep her tears from falling. She was a total moron! He was a nice guy, and this odd coincidence had merely given them an opportunity to break the ice and become friends. She didn't fault him that much for what he had done because there were so many things in between the simple accusation of him spying on her. Things she had done, what he had done.

An entire year's worth of watching.

She quickly went for the espresso to hide her face, lest she give anything away.

"I happily accept your apology and I hope you accept mine. Given how you're tearing into that lunch box, I'd say that you have at least a little." He kidded, hoping to lighten the mood at seeing her tears. After all that he had witnessed from her over the last year, it felt wrong to listen to her put herself down like she was. She didn't deserve that because she was a very talented individual.

She blushed and hunched her shoulders to her ears. "I'm small...but I can eat when I want to..." She mumbled, going for the second wrap.

"I can see that." A hand propped his chin up. "So...it's back to work after this, huh? Planning on closing those curtains of yours at least so I can get some sleep tonight?"

She glared at him. "Of course I am!" She accidentally spat part of the wrap across the way and wanted to die. A hand covered her face as she lowered her forehead to the table with a groan.

He gave in and laughed. No damage was done, but she looked like she wanted to crawl under the table and make her home there. "There is no running away now." He wagged a finger at her, though she couldn't see it.

"I already thought of that." She countered back, not wanting to raise her head. It felt like the sun and she couldn't believe she was this clumsy toward one person! She would give anything to have anyone else with her and take the edge off the situation!

"Well I know where you live now so I can go knocking on your door any time I want to." He joked, purposely trying to pull her out of herself with the reminder of the debacle.

"Don't bother. The sewing machine makes enough noise that I won't hear you unless you go banging on the door." She finally lifted her head up, rubbing the red spot through a smirk.

"Perish the thought. I AM a gentleman after all. I wouldn't want to wake up the whole neighborhood just to get your attention."

She snorted and rolled her eyes at his charming smile. "Do that and I am going to go announcing to the whole neighborhood that there's a peeping tom who likes to look at girls through his window merely because he doesn't like to close his own curtains."

Thank god this was all in Mandarin! He looked around quickly as if people were staring at that, but no one was paying attention. "Now I know why we're not talking in French." He groused, giving her a sour look.

She snickered and took a bite of the wrap. After safely swallowing the food so nothing else embarrassed her a second time, her head tilted. "I didn't close my curtains because I needed the sunlight to save on energy costs and at night I just forgot because I'm thinking of my business. What's your excuse?"

He huffed. "Modeling is a late night activity. The business does it to you. By the time I get home, especially when it's near to a runway show, it's around midnight. Since I get so little for morning classes, I tend to sleep heavily and through my alarm. I would do black-out curtains, but I need actual sunlight to wake me up in the morning." A finger pointed accusingly, though he was grinning. "If I had known there was a girl who works all hours with her light shining into mine for half the night, I would have probably bought a louder alarm clock."

She smirked. "But then you went and lost more sleep on me, eh Monsieur?"

He shrugged, as if what he'd done was no big deal. "What can I say...I was fascinated by what you were working on." His smile turned totally devilish. "And the summer months were totally worth the lost sleep."

Her face flamed, arms reaching out to hit him. "You DID see that!" She cried out, wanting to die all over again. "Ass! Voyeur! I can't believe you!"

He grabbed her hands before she spilled everything off the table. His grin didn't lower and somehow got bigger. "I AM a twenty-two year old male after all. And you were in your underwear... A hand-made special, I assume?"

She quickly looked to the room, thanking herself for using a language she bet no one else would know. The only reason anyone was giving odd looks was probably due to the fact that she was trying to accost him in this second.

She quickly pulled away and looked to the remaining food in the box. "You COULD have been more of a gentleman and gone to bed." She grit out, face impossibly red.

He smirked and propped his head up, loving her discomfort. The feel of play was there and he ate it up. "The thought did cross my mind. But then again, your sense of fashion was pretty good. Never a dull moment to look at."

She could have broken her jaw with how hard her teeth were clenched together. It took every ounce of strength not to jump from her chair and hit him on the head. "I take it back. I don't apologize for leaving. You're an asshole! I can't believe you!"

His other hand joined the first, making him look boyish, though the look on his face was pure evil. "Close the curtains. An entire year they were open. In all weather." His brow rose. "Saving energy at night?"

"I forgot!" She burst out, much louder than she intended. A hand slapped over her mouth when she felt eyes, glaring at him when he laughed at her.

This was too good. She really was something else and it was hilarious. He wanted to keep poking fun at her and get those stormy blue eyes his way. She had to be the most amusing person he had met since Nino last month.

She wanted to burn holes in his eyes so she could be assured they'd never look at her half naked ever again. Not that she was so highly adversed to ever being seen in her underwear, but this was an internationally famous model whom she was well aware had done underwear modeling! She wasn't even going to start comparing the two of them because that was pointless. The fact that he had been watching her for so many of those nights, nights she purposely went half naked in order to keep cooling costs down, made her want to explode all over again when she thought back on them.

'Stop that!'

"If it's any consolation, I'm pretty sure you've seen plenty of magazines with me wearing all sorts of different articles of clothing." He waved off, as if they were merely discussing the weather. "So we can call it even because now you'll probably go out and find one of them because it's stuck in your head."

She glared at him through her blush. "I. Have. Work. To. Do." She grit out, wanting to hit him with her fists. "I don't have time to look through magazines with your face in them as if I had nothing better to do!"

He grinned. "But you DO know my face..."

She wanted to burn him up with her glare on the spot! He was infuriating! "You're incorrigible..." She growled, unable to get her jaw to relax.

He sat back, not feeling horrible as she was insinuating. "Yes, I am teasing you. It's fun. You're actually talking to me." He sat forward and poked her on the forehead again. "I bet you don't feel awkward around me anymore, huh?"

She slapped his hand away. "I feel more infuriated than anything! The magazine interviews definitely don't catch this side of you, Monsieur."

He snorted and went to finish his tea. "They never do a good job at painting models as real human beings. Their questions are pointless and pretty simple. Plus, I don't want to hear it from father if I answer something honestly." His eyes playfully narrowed over the cup. "It's better to show myself to people I make friends with anyway."

She sighed and grabbed the last piece of fruit in the bowl. "I give you a C plus so far." She mumbled, slightly sulking. Just what did she do, aside from the obvious, to invite such a terribly annoying, frustrating...handsome...model of a person into her life anyway?

He was unperturbed. "I suppose I'll have to make another appearance for a second apologetic lunch then, huh?"

Her head slammed into her hands at the thought of going through this again. "I have work to do!" She lamely countered. "And homework! And there's going to be a big project starting in a few days that I want to prepare for! I don't have time for this kind of nonsense!"

"But nonsense is the best kind of thing." He cracked, waving off her schedule. "I'm busy with all sorts of homework and work stuff too, but you don't see me stressing out about it."

"Because it'd give you wrinkles, rich boy?" She retorted, giving him a dry look.

He snorted. "No. Because I have hardly any friends because of work as it is, aside from Nino and Alya." He leaned over his arms at her. "And now I can add you to the list. That makes three friends I've made in the last month. I think that's a pretty good run." A finger tapped his chin. "Well, there are a few from my childhood, but I don't get to see them enough as it is due to business so I can't really count them right now. Then there's the group in Italy that I can't see because they're in another country and father won't let me just hop a plane to see them whenever I want. Plus they're in the Milan scene and he already thinks that's the enemy."

Was he intending on sounding this lonely on purpose? Her mouth scrunched up as she stared at how nonchalant he was acting about having no one in his life to hang out with. Even if she was busy with Lucky Charm, she still had Alya, Nino, Nathaniel, Mylene, Ivan, Juleka, and Rose. Their numbers were in her cell and anytime she wanted to chat about anything or hang out, they'd most assuredly agree to spend time with her.

She heaved a sigh and looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. Model poses in magazines went through her mind, as did their first meeting, and earlier today. She didn't know what to make of him aside from that he was odd and she felt weird to hang out with him. He was famous and rich and his family owned a successful business which he would most likely inherit if his father had anything to say about it. He was leagues away from her with her pitiful little success and family bakery.

Did she really want to keep crossing paths with him like this? Even if the banter was slightly amusing in its own right, she couldn't devote this kind of time to him right now. She barely gave that many hours to her Sorbonne friends as it was!

She wanted to say something, but ignored the words and finished off her salad. She crunched one carrot stick at a time as she looked at her food, idly wondering how long it would be before she could move like she did around her mannequin. Even if the only things in the box were two wraps, a small salad, and some carrot sticks. A side of fruit and espresso wouldn't be enough to keep her down for long, but she worked better on an empty stomach.

He didn't want to see her finish her meal. Never had he spoken so long like this with someone who was in his field. There was a kinship there that no one else would get to experience. He could relate to her on things no one would understand and share worries no one could get. He didn't want to let her go and return to his dorm of solitude. All that was awaiting him was homework and sleep and class tomorrow.

Boring!

But, she did have work to do and he understood that more than most. He didn't make the clothes his father designed, but he did show them off and worked just as hard. Perhaps next lunch he could get from her, he would ask about her business and see if he could get a website. It would be fun to see another designer's view that wasn't one of his father's rivals. He was a fan of good work and judging by the outfit she had on, not only had she sewn it, but it was designed by her as well.

Yes, he definitely wanted to talk business with her more when there was time. If she had more time.

He finished off the croissant and stood first. "Okay Mademoiselle business owner, I've kept you too long against your will. Time to walk you back to your dorm so you can go close those curtains and get to work."

She coughed on the last carrot stick, trying not to choke. She stood and put her coat on, glaring at him as she did so. "I'm NEVER going to speak French with you in public ever again." She hissed, looking around.

"I look forward to it." He countered, smiling as he put on his gloves. "I don't have anyone else aside my tutor that I can practice with. I can keep my skills up."

She scoffed and went for her scarf. "I'd say you're good enough already. Good enough to survive on the streets of any city in China..."

"Been there, done that." He vaguely kidded, letting her head for the door first.

He watched the swish of her hair as she weaved around to avoid running into the now-crowded area. He held the door for her, watching her duck under his arm and realized just how short she was compared to him. Her head maybe went to his shoulder, although he was almost two meters. The distinction made him stare at her as if seeing her all over again. The short height belayed everything he had come to know about her and it was a nice dichotomy.

The walk was short and silent. After all the banter, she couldn't bring herself to keep it going. She was going to say goodbye for another part of her life and push him out to do what she always intended on doing: business and homework.

"I suppose this was fun..." She mumbled, tugging on a loose strand that escaped her scarf. She looked to his room above as they stood in front of her dorm's main entrance.

"This was." He agreed, watching her close off. He mentally sighed and looked to a black window in the dark where she would be soon. "Now, don't forget. Curtains." He playfully patted her head to get her to look at him.

"I know!" She batted him off with a scowl. "I'll schedule some time to get some black-out curtains made so they don't bother you anymore." She turned for the door, grasping on the handle. "See you later Adrien." She mumbled, switching back to French.

"Good night to you too, Marinette." He waved, but she didn't see, nor did she look back after she headed inside. He stared through the glass, watching her walk down the hallway for the stairs, slightly fearing she wouldn't contact him or look for him in the halls after this. She may not ever wave at him just before entering class or even give him a flick of the head to acknowledge the short time he wheedled out of her.

He sighed and looked to the space that was hers. He would try hard not to watch her anymore, though he bet after tonight, those curtains would remain closed forever.

Well...if he could get to see her outside of what he had come to know, maybe it was better that way.

Food: starbucks fr/liste-de-menu/liste-nourriture


	17. Being a terrible person

It felt really weird to go back to her dorm, to enter it as if nothing new and mentionable had happened. The quiet, the bolts of cloth and everything as she had left it, stared at her, telling her to get to work. Everything was as she had left it, but it didn't seem like it was hers.

It was strange to be in her own room, a space she had occupied for a year now. She immediately looked to the curtains and strode to them. She not only closed them tightly, she grabbed pins from the cushion and vertically inserted them so that any attempt at opening the fabric would possibly rip it and remind her that they were to stay closed for her own privacy.

That task done and feeling somewhat safer, she looked to the machine quietly resting in its spot on the desk. The mannequin was off to one side, a partially sewn hoodie barely resting on it. She idly stared at it, not feeling any desire to do work that she so badly wanted to get back to. She never wanted to leave it in the first place, but he had taken her from it with his insistence and now she felt too changed to be able to focus at all.

She didn't want to be in her room, focusing on making money. She wanted to be back at that cafe with her lunch box and that strange conversation.

Hands covered her face, feeling conflicted on too many things and not wanting any of them. She wanted to erase everything and go back to the morning when she was rushing from one class to another in attempt to make it there on time. That was the only thing she wanted to worry about...and making clothes...maybe Nathaniel.

Hands shot from her face, eyes wide. Her mouth dropped open as she stared at the main door not too far away.

She totally forgot again!

"What is WRONG with me?!" Hands turned to fists, one of them knocking herself on the head harshly. She cringed at the pain, but hit herself again. "You idiot! You forgot! How could you forget him?"

At this time of night, he was either in the middle of dinner or probably chatting with his mother and sister about the day. She wasn't going to go breaking that up because his sister would burn her to cinders with that glare of hers. She couldn't bring herself to head over to his house now, but she had waited too long as it was.

Tears lined her eyes. Why did she do this to him?! She should call him right now and have him come over here so she could talk to him!

She harshly swallowed, feeling her heart already beat faster. No, that never solved anything. She always lost her head by being so close to him in such a small space. If anything, it was smarter to meet him in public, but this was private information she didn't want to go airing to others. It wasn't like she could have a full on conversation with him in Mandarin like she just did with Adrien either.

Nails dug into her palms. Adrien Agreste. She had been on her way out and he had been in the way! She should have been honest with him and told him exactly what she was about to do! She owed him nothing for friendship after actively trying to avoid him since the moment they met! Had she been smarter, she should have told him she was on her way to have a serious conversation with someone else and didn't have time for him, but she didn't. Why...why?!

Anger, mostly directed at herself, hit her and she let it overtake her. She was an idiot! By rights, she didn't deserve to be near Nathaniel, no matter what he had to say contrary to her opinion. She had already stayed away for two weeks because she felt like she was a horrible person who only played with him, even if he didn't seem to really mind. She was selfish and stupid!

Hands smothered most of the enraged cry, one coming up to slap herself across the face for her actions. She deserved much worse and from him, but couldn't bring herself to go to him in the state she was in. She should just erase his phone number from her contacts list and let him get on with his life! She had already told him last year that she couldn't keep leaving him behind for her business and had to choose work over him because it was her future.

Sad green eyes of that day hit her, as did the tears. Her emotions for him lashed out in remembering her attempt to leave him and she arms her wrapped around herself.

Sorbonne. Three years. Laughter. Love. Lust. Fun. Art. Modeling for his paintings. The time with their friends. His kisses. His eager ear when discussing her patterns. His advise whenever she was stuck. His giving Lucky Charm its name because he considered her his lucky charm after all the good grades he got with her as his model.

She trusted him so much and still felt something for him. Her feelings had been shoved aside and ignored so much for so long, they were still simmering in the room she had locked them in. They abruptly engulfed her and made a torrent of tears fall. She pictured his face in her mind, felt his arms around her. Her ears heard his words that he once whispered, so soft and sincere.

She sunk to her knees, collapsing upon herself on the cold floor. It seeped through her clothes, but she ignored it for the cries escaping her. Hands covered her mouth to keep quiet, but she couldn't stop them. She wanted him near to comfort her, to apologize to him, to plead her sorrows to him. She had never wanted something like this for him, but life had become so much more complicated after they graduated. It would never be simple anymore, no matter how much she wished it.

Her life's path was drastically different than any of her other friends'. The only one she felt knew of her work ethic and lack of time was Nino. She understood all that he did and whenever they met up again after an extended absence, neither apologized for being so busy because they both knew. They were trying to get their own businesses off the ground and it was extremely hard work to build a foundation by yourself.

Nathaniel was in a similar issue for the path he wanted which was why she felt he knew and gave her the space she needed. He had to wait in a different way than she did. While she was busy making things and hoping they would increase, he was forced to stop and start so many times to get people to notice him. She had started running much faster than he had and was forced to leave him behind.

It was much easier when she lived the university, not paying tuition at Sorbonne for the grace and love of her parents. It had allowed her to save up where possible, making enough to pay for the first year while she was finishing Sorbonne. Now that those expenses had been paid, there wasn't much left and she had to sprint to catch up, to get ahead, for the next year so she could add the prestige of ISC to her credentials.

The cries didn't stop as the stress and loneliness of the last year crashed over her. She wanted them all back, but she had chosen this life. She had made this happen, had been pushed from behind by many to succeed and she had...to their detriment. They sent her off with smiles on their faces and she barely had time to look behind to them. Her parents, Nathaniel, Alya, Nino, Mylene, Rose, Juleka, Ivan. She was going to add Adrien to that list too because there was just no way she could make time for him unless he wanted to sit and just watch her sew all night.

Had she ever known it would be this hard, she might have never started. She couldn't trust anyone to help her to reach the level she was looking for, not yet. A label was established by the sweat, blood, and tears of the designer. The successful ones had so many countless hours attached to them and that's why she admired them so much.

The night drew to a close on her without her wishing it would. Hours slipped by, precious moments of being able to make money and be successful. She lost it all for the wish of the past and the downfall of her own emotions. For the need of one individual. Her heart splintered in her loneliness and feelings for him, needing him near but fearing what would happen if he was. At the very least, she needed his comforting arms around her, quiet assurances that things would be okay and that she would get through this. That she only had two more years...two more, very long and agonizing years before this was all over.

There was only so much one human being could take before the foundation cracked just a little bit. Life had been taking swings at her in the shadows, in every stitch during all those late nights. All those lost hours of sleep. The wasted moments of being able to laugh while creating things she loved. Of being able to love fully without holding herself back and fearing herself.

She wobbled back and forth between her goals and her life for what felt like forever, never accomplishing anything and only feeling pulled in both directions the entire time. Not a thing was sorted out; she merely exhausted herself and wanted to be sick from so much crying.

Her eyes hurt when she finally stood. She looked around the room, loathing everything she stared at and yearning to get to it at the same time. 'This must be what a mental breakdown is like...' She idly pondered, relaxing her glare when she realized she was doing it.

The mannequin was half-done, the sewing machine quiet, the bolts of cloth piled high on her bed. Noel was so close and her customers were waiting. She had people to get to, orders to create, money to make. She had no idea what time it was, but the darkness outside tried to stare at her from behind the white curtains. The light above her head shone steadily, wasting energy that she was going to have to do more orders in order to pay for.

Something in her snapped just a little. She was tired from too few nights of proper sleep and too much studying. Too many projects, too many trips to the post office. It was all never-ending.

Hands slapped over her mouth as she screamed again. Exhaustion overcame her, as did frustration. She couldn't take care of herself this way! Not when she was trying to please so many people all the time! She couldn't take more days of this until Noel was done! There would always be birthday presents, anniversary gifts, and graduation requests to make. She was putting in more hours than she had given at either school and the free time she would get in the future would no doubt be put toward the business and not afford her anything for friends or family then either.

Nails dug into her palms so hard they could have drawn blood. She was here and she couldn't just walk away from it. What would she do after that? She had no job aside what she was doing and she loved what she was doing! This one slip couldn't consume her, though it was trying its hardest in this second to do so. If she left all this and went back home, she would probably regret it tomorrow.

She wanted to throw the sewing machine on the ground, but common sense saved her just in time. Hands slammed on the cloth on her desk, knocking one of them to the ground near her feet. She felt it hit her ankle and kicked it across the way. It flew through the air, hitting the wall as it went and left a trail of poly-cotton blend in its trek to the main door. Not satisfied, she yanked the needles out of the shawl she had been in the middle of and threw them toward the front door with a cry. They clanged off the wood and a neighbor banged on the wall at her to be quiet.

Her chest heaved, that action bringing her to her senses a little. This was no good, she couldn't stay here or she was going to rip her room apart, but she didn't want to leave because she didn't have a good place to go.

Well...one place came to mind...

By the time she would reach his home, she would have calmed down and then felt like a fool for bothering him at night. Even if he would rush out to help her in a moment's notice, she didn't want to tax him at this hour...whatever it may be. Even if she needed his arms around her so badly. Even if she needed to hear from him that it was okay to act like this and she wasn't overreacting.

Tears streaked down her face. It was too cold outside and snow was still on the ground to just run blindly into the night. This was the best place to be, hate it as much as she did right now.

She slumped to the floor, arms flopping on the bed. The last of her energy left her, head heavily resting over her arms. She was tired and it felt so late. Her light was on the entire time as she cried herself out and passed out, still not getting anywhere in her life.

01010

He told himself that he wasn't going to watch her. He merely peeked across the way to make sure that her curtains were closed. He could see a vague outline of her as she fumbled with them initially and smiled that she did what she should have done a long time ago.

He wasn't prepared for the change in her posture and her sudden drop to the ground.

After that, he felt like he had to watch her window for when she stood. He worried she slipped on something in her room, knowing how full it was, and hoped she didn't hurt herself. He stared in trepidation for what felt like forever. When she stumbled to stand, he wondered if he should call the paramedics to stop by, or go himself to make sure she was okay. He feared that she had fallen while she worked and was bleeding.

When she started moving erratically, that's when his initial worry morphed into something else.

Her curtains blocked out the details, but they were still flimsy cotton that bled light out. For a design school, the place sure spared on the expenses to make sure proper curtains were put in place. It allowed him to see her shadow well enough to see her throw something and collapse again.

Something wasn't right, but he didn't know what it was. After coming clean and feeling like he was done spying on her, it felt wrong of him to go to her and make her aware that he was still watching her, even with the curtains closed. He kept watching after she flopped out of sight a second time, waiting with slightly baited breath for her to stand. Her light remained on and his gaze flicked to his clock a few times, finding it late, but she never turned it off.

Somehow, he doubted that she would have forgotten to turn the light off. After how she went on and on about saving money because she paid for everything, he didn't think she would be so careless and let the electricity run. Something had to have happened. From her movements alone, she didn't look okay, but he was hesitant to get into the middle of it this time. The spying thing had involved him in a way that had been okay to approach, but whatever was going on with her felt like a private matter.

Trying to figure out what was distressing her, aside from obvious work pressure, had him lost. He couldn't figure it out, but he didn't know her life outside of her seamstress work and he suddenly felt disconnected from her despite the afternoon. The last year was meant absolutely nothing and he suddenly felt like she was a stranger all over again.

What did he do? Chivalry told him that she was not feeling well for some reason and to go check on her. Hesitation said that he'd give himself away and prove he was lying because she would know he was still watching her and that was not a good idea. Any feeling he had toward her as a friend said that he should go help, even if it was late at night and she might have merely fallen asleep with the light on.

He knew how stressful the business was. He was well aware after putting in so many hours being a living mannequin for others to stitch clothes on. It was annoying and frustrating yet necessary. He was at the mercy of others because they needed the exact look of the clothes hanging on him to see how it'd look on a runway or photo spread.

A small thought made itself known and had him hesitant for a whole new reason. If she was throwing something, she must be mad...maybe at him? He couldn't keep track of how many times she insisted on getting back to work or mentioned it. She was busy and he even said so himself. She had been in the middle of going somewhere when he interrupted her. He insisted on spending time with her because of his own selfish want for friendship. If she was throwing things, she was probably frustrated at him for taking her away from her previous engagements.

Their conversation had been kind of odd and he was still affected by spending so much fun time with her. He hadn't wanted to go back to his dorm, but she had needed to go back to hers. He kept her away from what he very well knew was more than a full-time job. He had seen for himself how busy she was for an entire year. Noel had made her more so, but he ignored all that to hang out with her.

He cringed a little, still unable to look away from her space. She had a right to be mad at him for everything today and not want to talk to him. He had done unforgivable things without ever apologizing up until now. Common sense would have told him to close his own curtains and just get a louder clock, but he never did. He had been pretty low in watching her and if she was pissed at him, she should be. His actions had been inexcusable and he still had a lot to make up for.

The earlier fun fizzled, leaving him feeling bittersweet and guilty. He forced himself to look away and closed the plain, white curtains as well. He plopped down on the bed and put his head in his hands. He needed to fix this, but not right now. It was late, although the last thing he wanted to do was go to class tomorrow. Real life seemed so pointless and so far away from the emotional turmoil assaulting him.

He flopped back in bed and stared at the dark ceiling, the chill of the room getting to his hands. He felt his nose go a little cold, but ignored it.

He was scum. One lunch was not enough to undue all he had put upon her. She had every right to run away from him like she did and freak out. Of course she did! He needed to do so much more to apologize and make it up to her. He would have to wait though because the last thing he wanted to do was interrupt her this late at night and beg for her forgiveness and friendship. That was just stupid.

He sluggishly got under the covers, knowing that the real world would be upon him fast enough. No matter how much he didn't want to face it soon, it would demand things from him and he would have to comply. He forced everything in the back of his head for now, though sleep eluded him through his guilt for hours after that. He finally fell asleep amidst the list of thinking of ways to pay her back and erase his mistake.


	18. Going through friends

His conscious ate at him all night. He wanted to go right up to her the first chance he got the next day and make sure she was okay, but two issues presented themselves. One, he didn't want her to know he had been spying on her even with the curtains closed. Two, he didn't see the back of her head anywhere in school.

After a week or so of looking out for her, he had a fairly good idea of when her classes were, since they mirrored most of his hours. Even with as short as she was, he had seen enough of the top of her head to spot her anywhere. But, he didn't see her. Not even when he went to the doors of her classes and waited for everyone else to shuffle out.

Going to one of her professors, unable to contain himself any longer, found her not in class, but the professor was unable to tell him why.

This was eating at him horribly. He felt bad because he just knew he was the cause. He wanted to knock on her door and see just what was going on, figuring he kept her from class due to whatever he witnessed last night, but he worried that he would make things much worse. If she was mad from having to go out to lunch for so long, taking up more of her time was not a good idea.

Maybe he had pressed his luck. Maybe she had only placated him and was playing nice when she apologized. He didn't know and it was hurting his head.

Homework was out of the question. He barely paid attention in class. After countless minutes of looking up into her window from the ground outside, he caught himself and hurried into his room in case someone saw him. He dropped his stuff on his bed and went to the window, trying to stay out of sight just in case.

The curtains were closed, but this time the light was off.

He got as close to the glass as he could, heart stopped in hope that there would be movement. He stared across the way for what felt forever, nothing ever giving him relief.

He ended up pacing the small space in his room, eyes bouncing from the window to random spots at every turn. Was she out? If that was the case, why wasn't she in class? She couldn't have went from one to the other in order to avoid him, nor did she seem like the person to wait him out and scurry to her next one after he had entered his room.

Did she get sick from something she ate? Did he keep her out in the cold for too long?

Hands harshly went through his hair. This was driving him nuts! He was about ready to grab his shoes and head over there right now, when a thought hit.

He didn't want to contact her out of worry of being caught, but there were others he could use to do the job for him. Nino could. Or Alya. He had both of their numbers. He nibbled on the skin of his thumb for a second as he pondered just who to go through.

Nino was fairly busy and who knew just what he was doing right now. From how much he did, it was a safe bet he may be at work...maybe? If he contacted Nino to contact Marinette, Nino could come up with a better excuse than him since it'd been a few weeks since they had met. Nino could make any easily believed excuse and stop over. Provided he had time...

" _I don't have any evil step-sisters... Unless you count Alya. She can be pretty mean sometimes."_

If Marinette was mad at him and he went to Alya about it, Alya may just come after him if she was as mean as Marinette alluded to. As far as Alya knew, he hadn't spent any time with Marinette since the cafe. She knew absolutely nothing of yesterday and his skin crawled a little at any kind of retribution. What would she think if she knew that he had been watching Marinette like a stalker and Marinette was mad because of it? It may just affect his relationship with her and Nino and that was the last thing he wanted.

Nino it was.

There was a good sense of trust with Nino. Even if he hadn't known the man long, he got that feeling from his friend. He could be honest and tell Nino just what was going on and get his advice and hopefully his help. If Nino was busy, maybe they could figure out something to say to Alya and send her over instead.

Mind made up, he snatched the phone out of his coat and pulled up Nino's number. His finger hesitated over the green phone icon for a few seconds, lower lip in his teeth, before pressing the button. He took a deep breath during the ringing and resumed pacing.

"Hey Agreste, what's up?"

He paused as if running into a wall, mouth frozen. He harshly swallowed, Nino's voice bringing him out of himself. "I...need a favor. Or I have a question. Actually, I think I totally screwed things up over here."

"Okay...?" Nino drawled. "Which one is it? Whatever it is, I'll try and help, but I have a tutor session in twenty minutes, so I can't listen long. Sorry."

He nodded and plopped on the bed. He expected as much.

Without prefacing his friend on anything, he went right into the last year of overnight watches, figuring out it was Marinettte, the week of getting up the courage, telling her the truth yesterday, the lunch, and the erratic actions last night which kept him from checking up on her.

"I think I seriously pissed her off. What do you think Nino?" A hand went through his hair. "Even though I thought we were okay after that lunch and I brought her back, she skipped class today. She's too hard-working for that. I know she is. Is it because I didn't leave her alone that afternoon?"

"Take a deep breath man. That's...wow...ok...yea." A hand pulled the hat off his head and scratched his hair. "Not gonna lie Adrien, that's kinda weird. Stalker-ish even."

"I know!" He cried out, face in his hand. "I didn't mean to! I don't even know why I did it for so long! She's got talent and I got carried away. The whole thing was actually annoying and I thought that was why."

"That's not what I think, but I'm going to ignore that for the bigger issue here." Nino sighed and looked to his co-worker giving him a weird look. He cringed a little and pointed to the phone, then headed for the back for a little more privacy. "So Mar is awol from school for some reason and you want me to check on her."

"In a nutshell."

"Well, at this point I can't because I'll be working soon, so I'll text Alya and see what she's got going on. If I know her, and I like to think I do, she'll be done with class and hanging out at home." Nino did a mental track to the days and her calendar. "She may have work tonight, but I'll make sure."

He sighed and tried to ignore the sense of anxiety creeping through him. "I was hoping we didn't have to get her involved..."

Nino snorted. "I'll spin something for her, don't worry. I won't bring this up until much more time has passed. If you told Mar, odds are she's probably told Alya though. Those two have been best friends for a decade so keep that in mind."

If that was the case, Alya was probably told when they parted ways yesterday. That may explain who he heard her talking to in her dorm.

He didn't want to have a friend of a friend find out when he wasn't there to either defend himself or give details of the story from his point of view, but there was nothing to be done about it now. Considering she hadn't texted or called him, Alya either didn't care, didn't want to get involved, or didn't know. He wondered which one it was and hoped it was the first one.

"I'll make sure you get a text with the results whenever that is." Nino finalized, pacing the room as he thought. "Whether it's from me or Alya, one of us will let you know."

Nino said goodbye and hung up, wondering just how he had become involved in such a strange twist of fate and wondering how much longer he could have gone without knowing such details. He heaved a sigh and looked to his phone, mentally phrasing the exact words before opening up Alya's text history.

 _I've got something of a favor to ask of you. I heard Mar is sick and I can't get away to check on her. I have to get to tutoring in five minutes. Can you call or text her or stop by to see what's up and give me the details when you find out what's going on? Thanks babe._

He was waiting two minutes later for an answer when his co-worker came through the door to tell him his client was here a bit early and wanted to get started. His mouth scrunched up, still having no answer, but put his phone in a side pocket of his jeans before heading out. Marinette was going to have to wait; business called and he had bills to pay.

01010

It wasn't until almost five when she managed to get to her phone. The test tomorrow demanded study time and she wasn't going to flunk it. Only when she went to take a break, checking the time as she headed from her room, did she see his message.

A brow went up as she stared at the words. How did Nino know Marinette was sick? When did that happen? Honestly, with as much as the girl overworked herself though, it wouldn't surprise her in the slightest. The girl was skinny, worked late, and didn't sleep enough. She had tried to get as much food into her friend as possible, but she hadn't seen Marinette for two weeks. It seemed like so much had happened.

Maybe what she heard lately finally pushed Marinette over the edge...

She looked to the clock on the top near the earpiece and sighed. This wasn't the best of times to play best friend and just head on over with ice cream and a box of tissues. Her mouth scrunched up in thought. She had to leave in ten minutes for work for her mother or she wasn't going to be on time. She quickly pulled up her contacts list, wondering if she'd get an answer by text, and pressed the green dial icon.

She immediately got voicemail.

A brow went up. It wasn't often that Marinette's phone was unavailable. Either she had a dead battery, which didn't happen often, or she shut it off, which was more likely.

The whole "sick" text had her detective skills working. It was too much of a coincidence after she heard what transpired lately. It was possible that Marinette was faking sick because she didn't want to deal with Nino, who was connected to Adrien. With as freaked out as her friend was on the phone, she wasn't going to rule that out.

She shook her head with a sigh. It was too late in the day to have to put up with this crap! Going back a step in her contacts, she pulled up a name she hoped would be able to do something.

"Hello?"

"Hey Nathaniel. What are you doing right now?"

"Just about to sit down to dinner."

She heaved a sigh. "Damn. I needed someone to check up on Marinette."

"What's the matter with her?"

She cringed a little at the tone. Apparently, Marinette had not talked to Nathaniel yet. She ignored his insistent questions and gave a thoughtful hum. "Has Marinette contacted you in the last two days?"

"No, should she have?"

"Well, the answer to that is always yes, but I think something more complicated is going on with her."

"Is something going on? What do you know?"

Fingers rubbed her forehead. "Give me a second to piece this through. If I'm talking out loud it's because I'm trying to figure this out before heading to work." With time of the essence, and feeling slightly irritated at being thrown into a situation she didn't really want to deal with, she started pacing as her brain whirled.

'Okay...so Adrien has been watching Marinette for a year without her knowledge and told her yesterday. I don't know how he's going to handle that aftermath, but I'll have to ask when I get her pulled from whatever funk she's in.'

Teeth nibbled her nail, eyes trained on the floor she was wandering over. "Okay, she hasn't talked to you in two weeks and I ordered her to talk to you yesterday. She hadn't called you, but she sounded like she was at least going to get off her butt and contact you somehow. Now it seems she's sick or something."

'I wonder if the Adrien thing was too much for her. He IS a model after all and she does admire his father for his work with Gabriel.'

"Maybe her head finally exploded from it all..."

"What?"

She jumped at Nathaniel's voice and rubbed her chin with another sigh. "There's a huge chunk of info to this whole puzzle and someone is not telling me something here." She quickly shook her head and cringed when she saw the time. "Listen Nathaniel, I've got work to do and Nino sent me a text about Marinette hours ago when he was at work. I don't know what he's got going on right now, but he may be sleeping for his usual club work. Can you make some time and see what that dumb girl is doing right now? Her phone is off, so don't bother texting her. Would you do that for me? Send me details or make her send me something when all is smoothed out over there. She's worrying everyone."

Green eyes looked to the clock over the sink. "I can be out of here in ten minutes." He reported, ignoring the glare of his sister.

"Thanks for the help. Go knock her on the head for me and tell her that she's missing school that she's working so hard to pay for. I gotta get going."

"I'll send you a text once I figure out what's going on."

"Are you seriously leaving dinner just to go and see her?"

He sent a dry look his sister's way, not happy with the tone. "Alya said Marinette might be sick and I'm not going to let her just keep being sick if that's the case." He slid the chair from the table and stood. "I'll just stop over real quick and see what's up. If it's nothing, I can come right back."

"Uh huh."

"Why don't you take some leftovers with you Nathaniel..." Without another word, his mother stood and reached for a glass jar in the lower cupboards. She started spooning some of their dinner into it and closed the lid before sliding it his way across the counter. "The poor girl is so thin, she needs a good meal or two."

He snatched the container off the surface and smiled his thanks. "Thanks mother." He answered in German, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"No hurry dear. You take care of that girl as much as she needs." His mother patted his arm and went for the table while he headed for the hook housing his coat.

He ignored his sister's words as she continued on about his leaving while he grabbed his coat and scarf. He said another goodbye as he closed the door.

His heart clenched with worry as he hurried to the ground level as much as possible without falling. It had been a while since he knew of Marinette getting sick and that was mostly because she overworked herself without proper rest. Given that Noel was mere weeks away, he had a feeling that may be the case.

He gave the road ahead a sour look as he made his way to the bus stop. He was going to yell at her for doing this to herself again! She never leaned on those who were there for her for help! He wasn't very adept with a needle, but he could at least help create designs for her where possible! If necessary, she could teach him to knit or he could make runs to the post office for her.

The whole ride to the dorms was full of worry, upset, and curiosity. He didn't fault Marinette for not calling for two weeks after the last near incident in his room. He had forgiven her after the goodbye kiss weeks ago and just wondered how she was doing. Apparently she wasn't doing good and he wondered if the last bit between them was in any way connected.

He heaved a sigh and moved the hair from his eyes. This was quite the sudden mystery and there were too many pieces, just like Alya said, that didn't add up. The only person who knew exactly what was going on was hopefully in her room right now for him to coddle.

He hopped off the bus stop and rushed the last two blocks. He rounded ISC, ignoring the chill to his face, and stopped in between the buildings. He looked up past all the other lights shining from the other floors for her window. It was dark, which he hesitated at. If she was asleep, he didn't want to wake her, but it was barely six. Even though the sun was gone for the day, she was always up late into the night. The fact that she wasn't right now had him worried.

Maybe she WAS sick?

He stayed there for moments in uncertainty before shaking his head, strengthening his resolve, and heading past the glass door for her building.


	19. What's really wrong

He didn't know what to expect. So many questions and possibilities were going through his head and he was only worrying himself into a frenzy by the time he reached her door. His hands were shaking a little as he put his ear to the wood, trying to listen for her sewing machine...voice...anything. All was silent on the other side and he looked down to the knob.

A quick check found the door unlocked.

He tsked as he tried to open the door as quietly as possible. She never did consider her own safety when she got busy at work and she was so forgetful sometimes. But, it was this second that he was thankful because she took back her key last year.

Silence met him, as did the darkness. He could hear his breathing in his own ears and it was the loudest thing in the room. Nothing else met the door. No Marinette, no shriek of surprise, no gasp of shock that someone was entering her room. His brow furrowed as he inched in. Was she even here?

He clicked the lock in place and stood in the entryway. The bathroom light was off. He left his shoes on and put the dish over the mini fridge. He edged into the main part of her room, ears perked for any noise. Was she asleep? If she was, he didn't want to bother her, but if she was sick and asleep for such a long time, she needed food anyway.

"Marinette?" He whispered, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the darkness as he shuffled past the hallway into the main room.

There was a gasp and then a quick shifting of the covers. He jumped back and put a hand over his heart at the scare.

"W – who's there?!" Came the shaky reply, a sniffle following it. "What are you doing here?! G – go away!"

The tremor in the voice, the fear, the fact alone that it sounded like she had been crying, made him hurry to the bed, damned be anything lying on the floor in his way. He kicked it out of the way and kneeled down, hand going to the covers.

"Marinette, it's me. It's Nathaniel."

"No! Get away from me!" She blurted out, throwing the covers over her head.

He fell backward to the floor at the motion and caught himself before he hurt anything. He rested over his knees, unable to get her to pull the comforter off with as tightly as she was gripping it. "Marinette, what's the matter? Are you okay? Are you sick?"

"No... get away. I'm horrible. Get away from me. I'm so dumb..."

"Marinette, please talk to me. Tell me what's going on. Why are you horrible? You're not dumb. What's the matter? Alya told me you were sick so I brought food for you."

Her head hurt, her mouth was dry, and her eyes burned like the sun. She felt light-headed and nauseous. The tracks on her cheeks cracked and stretched when she tried to talk. She was utterly exhausted and weak, but she didn't want food.

The day had been terrible, the self-loathing worse. She didn't want to greet the world, didn't want to be an adult. She huddled in the warmth of her bed, something she hardly got to do, and took comfort in the solidity of its silent presence. It did nothing to help her solve her problems, but when she was too tired from crying so much, it held her up so she could pass out again and again.

"I don't want food..." She mewled, trying to clutch the blankets over her. Tears somehow came to her, her throat closing in agony. "G – get away. Don't come near m – me..."

He listened to the pitiful cries that were broken by coughs and rubbed what he hoped was her back. She didn't shy away, but it did make her cry harder. He couldn't get anything else from her other than pleads for him to leave, so he waited for unknown moments in the dark for her to calm down, knowing nothing else would happen until she did.

When she was mostly silent, he leaned to the bump where her head was and gave a quiet sigh. "I don't know what's wrong with you yet Marinette, but I'm not leaving until you tell me why you're so sad and why you want me to go away. Talk to me; I've always been there for you and you know I'm stubborn enough to sleep on the floor until you lean on me."

She knew this. So many nights when she held herself responsible for his pain and clammed up, he obstinately remained with her until she talked to him. She was always better for it, but she had already spent the entire day hating herself for being the way she was. She wanted to touch him, to hug him and let him wash everything away, but she was too scared of what she did in the past from such actions. She didn't want to be an awful human being anymore, but it was too hard to talk right now.

She was so tired. She just wanted to go back to sleep and forget the entire day ever existed. She didn't want to deal with Nathaniel, with Adrien, with school, or her business. She wanted to be back up in her old loft room with her gracious mother making her breakfast and reminding her she had school soon.

She didn't know when it happened or when she moved, but she slowly shifted from facing the wall to him. She reached out, mentally knowing it was okay to lean on him in a way she knew she wasn't supposed to. Her hands found his under the covers and squeezed as hard as she could with the lack of strength from the day. She focused on his skin patting hers, his thumbs running over the back of her hands. It made tears come to her eyes and she let them fall, though they were quiet.

He wanted to say words, to take this opportunity to pry, but he knew that too soon would get a backlash and he would loose the foothold he had. He tried to be patient for as long as possible, words trying to leave his mouth without his consent. He touched her as best he knew, trying to console somehow.

After an eternity had passed and the sniffling stopped, he took that as his cue to move. He shifted forward a few more inches, slowly pulling the comforter back to see a messy chunk of black hair. "What's wrong Marinette? Talk to me." He murmured.

He was so close that she felt the breath of his words. Her heart ached at his proximity and she gave in to the stark need to touch him. Her mouth opened, words trying to form. "Water..." She finally croaked.

He nodded and moved away from the bed in a second to do just that. He grabbed a cup from the sink in the bathroom and filled it as full as it would go. "Sit up Marinette." He softly ordered, kneeling again. He waited for her to do so, seeing her move with difficulty, and snaked an arm behind her back. "Here, let me help you."

She wanted to retort that such a thing was impossible, but gratefully sipped the water in his hand. It was cold and felt like heaven. She quickly gave into the level of thirst and gulped the whole thing down, chest heaving when there was nothing left.

"Do you have a fever? Headache? Nausea?" He queried, putting the empty cup on the floor to feel her forehead.

"I'm not sick..." She mumbled, batting his hands away. She sat up on her own power, wondering how she looked right now. "Leave the light off. I bet I'm a mess."

"I've seen worse." He responded, lips twitching. "If you're not sick, then what else is going on?" His mouth opened, but he hesitated to speak for a moment, before mentally chiding himself for not getting answers. That's why he was here. "Is it because of what almost happened in my room?" There was no answer and his hand rose, going through her hair and finding it disheveled. "I don't want to hear any apologies from you about what happened. If I didn't want that, I would have pushed you away. I knew what it might have done before we arrived and I ever pulled my sketchpads out. There was nothing else to be done about it, so forget about it."

"I refuse!" She retorted, tears gathering again. Her fists clenched. She couldn't look at him, even if it was too dark to see much anyway. "Stop...forgiving me!" Her jaw clenched, palms going for her eyes. She wanted to lean away when his hand went over her back. "I'm terrible! Why...do I...do this?!" She took a shaky breath. "It's not fair to you...it never was... Why do I...do this? I can't...give you...an answer...I can't!"

"Marinette, I'm not looking for -"

"You should!" She harshly butt in, turning tortured eyes his way. She quickly grabbed his hands. "You should be...mad at me...and hate me...and never...be my friend!" She hiccuped, feeling out of control. Tears poured down the old tracks, making new, and dripping onto the blankets. "Don't love me anymore! Don't see me! Don't talk to me! I don't...deserve you...I don't...I don't."

He rapidly grasped her chin, fingers almost slipping off from her tears, and gave her a stern look through the black. "I'll be the one to love whom I choose and you're not one to correct me on my own emotions, Marinette Dupain-Cheng." He ordered, voice chiseled. He listened to her sniffle and watched her blink rapidly. "I deserve as much happiness as you do and I've deemed that happiness attached to being with you. I understand how difficult your time is and that our paths have changed a little in the last few years. That's what life does to you. The question you need to ask yourself is: if you can handle the journey for the ending. I've been walking here with you with my hand out the entire time waiting for you to finally see that."

She squeaked out a pained noise, feeling properly chastised by his words. They hit right where she was the most vulnerable and told her that no matter how many times she insist he find someone else, he never was going to. Her words would always fall on deaf ears and he would never move from her side.

Her head slowly drooped until it hit his shoulder. She felt like she was going to fall forever until she collided with solid skin. The feeling of unmovable mass sent emotional shock waves through her and the tears didn't stop.

"I can't...love you...right now..." She whispered, fingers twitching to go around his waist. She felt the gentle touch of his hand over the back of her head and it comforted her more than she thought it would. She was so tired... "I...I want to...but I can't... I can't give you...what you need... I don't have...the time."

"I understand this. I have for months. I've known of your dreams and ambitions for years, Marinette. I helped shape them. I'm not sad that you are working hard to achieve what you've been thinking about since before we met again. I knew in middle school, when you told me you made your own clothes, that you were talented with a needle and thread. To see how passionately you worked during our Sorbonne time together made me hope for your success as much as you did."

He felt her hands inch across the blankets until they rested timidly at the edge of his jeans. He reached down and gave her fingers a squeeze, finding them wet with tears. "I'll admit that some times have been hard when you don't text or call me for a few weeks or a month on end. All I need is a 'hello' or 'good evening' or 'how are you doing' to get me through the day. It tells me you're thinking of me like I am you. That alone would make me happy until I can see you again."

Her teeth grit. "You shouldn't...be happy...with so little." She bit out, angry at herself again.

He sighed and pushed her back. His hands came up and cupped her face, somewhat stunned at how wet it was. The amount of tears she had shed was not from the last few minutes. This was hours worth of work. His heart went out to her for obsessing over the same thing she beat herself up for every time they were together. He wanted her to stop, but his words had never gotten through her own harsh scolding.

His forehead went to hers, giving her a small clunk, lips in a bitter smile. "I have no choice. It's a sad realization, but it's a short-lived one. I know that if I can be patient for a little longer, then things will be much better soon. I can work on my art in the meantime and love you when you have time for me."

Her shoulders shook, head slipping off his as she curled into a ball and cried again. She felt his cheek against her back as she trembled, hands over her mouth to mute her cries.

There were no words to be able to describe the bottomless devotion being presented to her. She was speechless and humbled against it...and ashamed. "I'm sorry!" She barely managed, fingers gripping his coat in the darkness. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Please stop apologizing..." He quietly pleaded, voice wavering. His hands moved to lightly grasp her shoulders, pulling her up. "Please don't cry anymore. This is no reason for you to cry. Please stop. Please don't do this to yourself."

His lips found hers and pressed against hers like he was scared to do so. She barely met his touch for the inability to breathe. She tried to give him something back, but it was hard. She was so exhausted and her head hurt. She was so overloaded with everything and only time would heal this.

Her arms latched out blindly, going toward him as she should have minutes ago. She buried her face in his coat, feeling the strength of his arms around her and letting it give her something solid to grasp hold of.

Try as she might, she had never been able to leave him, to get past him, to get on with her life. She had never seen him as just a friend in the entire year and that's why it was so hard. Her feelings pushed back at her whenever she tried to lock them away. They retaliated and punished her for ignoring them. They made sure she had never been able to have control around him, to be just his friend.

Her arms tightened and his responded in kind. She clutched at him as the familiar line in her life and he gave her all of the reassurance he could muster. He relished the feel of her after so many days and nights of being apart, calming his greedy heart and his own emotions at her absence and her current torment.

"I love you." He breathed, fingers going through her hair. "I will always love you. I haven't stopped loving you for four years. If we had gone to the same high school, I would have loved you for another three years. I had been interested in you since before middle school ended. The fact that we met up after those years apart, even having the same major, says that we should be together. The years we had together was a beautiful thing and I will always think back on our times in class, but life changes. People have to move on and grow or nothing good will ever happen to you. I'm working toward my goal just as you're working toward yours. Yours is much busier than mine, but once my goal is reached, I'll also be busy."

He pulled away enough to kiss her forehead. He listened to her breathing calm, her sniffles stop, her shaking slow to small tremors. He pried the death grip off his coat so he could toss it on the floor. "Move over." He murmured, legs shifting.

She jumped and mindlessly did as told before she could figure out what he wanted. It wasn't until he was almost situated underneath her covers that she mentally exploded. "N – no!" She shuffled back, unable to get her heart to slow. "Not again! Don't make me...lose control..." Her hands clenched together at her chest. "I've wanted to hold you, touch you, hug you, for so many days now and it killed me all day. I don't want to do that to you again!"

He held a hand out, tender smile on his face. "I'd be honored if that happened, but all I want to do right now is hold you. If you wanted to hug me all day, now is your chance."

She knew that laying with her head on his chest wouldn't allow her to remain calm. She was going to lose herself and her head, as she had before when such incidents occurred. She hated herself for taking advantage of the situation and feel like she was using his emotions for her own needs. "Honored" didn't even come into play past the beating of her heart.

"Come here." His hand snuck across her back, tugging her to him as he shifted toward the pillow. "I'm not going to mind anything that happens between us for the next few hours. I came here with food and worry, and I plan on staying with comfort and an open ear if you'd like to tell me what happened all day yesterday."

She could never tell him that she had planned on saying the exact same thing in a much calmer manner, only to be stopped by Adrien and his bizarre scenario that he dropped on her!

She finally gave in after the third tug and hesitantly got situated in the crook of his arm, mentally chastising herself the entire time. She heard the solid feel of his heart beat under her ear and soon relaxed enough against him. The warmth he gave, the usual comfort of his arms, was everything that she had needed all day. The solitude of her room tore her head apart. Him being here filled the place and drove away the evil invading her conscious. Thinking slipped away at each beat of his chest. Her hand rested over his heart, soon entwined with his fingers.

"I missed being here like this with you." He whispered, throat tight. "You're not doing either of us a bit of good by forcing yourself away from me like you are. You're not helping me by keeping yourself from me. These moments are some of the best ones I'll ever experience. These simple moments of just holding you."

His voice was nice. The rumble in his chest calmed her. The world melted away, her problems evaporating. None of them existed anymore and after so many moments of concentrating on him as much as she was, she wondered why she had even cried so much in the first place.

She was a fool.

The darkness was no longer scary, no longer oppressive. It was calm and a silent guardian. She didn't hate it anymore as his breathing continued in her ear. The exhaustion of the day weighed on her and she sank into the mattress, eyes slipping closed into a much more blissful sleep than the last one.


	20. Being selfish with you

Dawn came much faster than it was welcomed. The standard school curtains only did their job in affording a little privacy, but they didn't do that much in keeping the all light out. Usually she needed full-blown morning light, but not now and not anything else that was going to take her from the blissful darkness of sleep.

The first thing that hit her was the thirst, followed by an annoying headache. It twinged in different spots as if unable to figure out where to hurt first. When she moved and ducked her head against the pain, the strange feel that wasn't her pillow dropped on her like a sledgehammer.

She would have moved much faster if she wasn't so dehydrated and exhausted. Crying for so many hours took its toll and her eyes didn't want to move. They felt glued together and burned even after getting some proper sleep. Her face was sticky from dried tears and she couldn't breathe out her nose.

The heartbeat that suddenly registered in her ears jolted a little more awareness.

She forced her eyes opened and found a dark blue sweater, one she had personally made, greeting her immediate vision. Her eyes slowly widened, heart speeding up a degree, as realization penetrated the fog in her brain.

The arm around her back that was keeping her close.

The chest she had an arm slung over.

The legs she entwined her feet with.

The dip in the mattress that pushed her toward the extra warmth in her bed.

'Nathaniel...'

Last night went through her so fast she wanted to shy away from him in embarrassment. The feel of his arms around her and her head in the crook she had long ago created kept her from doing so.

It had always been so nice to cuddle with him during the winter months and sleep in. Sometimes, they'd skip their first class, then show up with artwork proclaiming that they'd been working instead of sleeping. Of course, using each other as constant inspiration, they had plenty to use at the drop of a hat and keep their professors at bay. With talents like theirs, fooling the university staff was easy.

Those were the days...

Sorrow and sullen feelings pulled the frown so deep on her face that she thought it'd fall off her chin. She couldn't concentrate on how good it felt to be in his arms when old memories threatened to crush her. The weight of the current days spat in the face of those good times, telling her to get over herself and get back to work. She had too much to do, so many things to catch up on, to be enjoying moments like this.

But she stubbornly refused to give in. She wanted to spend all morning and part of the afternoon like this! She wanted nothing more than to go back to blissful darkness with his shoulder as a pillow. She actually weighed the possibility, of what she'd be ignoring for another day, along with his responsibilities. The possible work she'd make him miss, along with any creative spells that came over him.

"I told you to stop grinding your teeth like that."

She jumped with a gasp, shifting back when he slowly rolled her way. His eyes remained closed, hair in his face as his arms sluggishly pulled her to his chest. She went without complaint, without hesitation, but was unable to say anything.

"I told you years ago you're going to hurt yourself if you keep that up." One of his hands lightly tapped her back. "Stop doing that."

"How do you even hear that anyway?" She retorted before she could stop herself.

He snorted and nestled his chin over her hair and breathed in her shampoo. A yawn left him before he could stop it. "I've become accustomed to anything you do...how do you not know this?"

Her lips tilted at the obvious teasing. She lightly slapped his back before nestling her face a little closer to the sweater, smelling his cologne and soap. It calmed her and brought nostalgia at the same time. She exhaled a hum, almost feeling like she was back to sneaking into his dorm.

"What are you thinking about?"

Her eyes peeked open and stared at the intricate pattern. "It feels like we're about ready to skip Madame Dubois's Still Life again."

He snorted, knowing exactly what she was talking about. A smile slowly formed. "If I recall, that means you usually feel extra greedy and then we go out for breakfast."

Her heart took a front seat on the rollercoaster that were her emotions in all of a second. Her nerves returned with a vengeance and her arms and legs were all too aware of touching him. Despite the heat he produced, she shivered.

"Or you could get to whatever professor you have now. If you were like this yesterday morning, I know you skipped class. And you've got lots of emails and work to attend to."

His grip slackened and something jealous in her hit her like a bolt of lightening. "I don't want to move." She mumbled, shifting closer to him. As if that were possible and it wasn't already hard enough to breathe.

He smiled and closed his eyes. "I don't want to either, but I can feel how fast your heart is beating you know..."

She gulped and found her throat dry. She stuck her face in his chest and refused to move from it for the heat in her cheeks.

"If history has given me anything, it would be a good outline for how the next few minutes are going to go." His voice dropped a notch, fingers trailing down her neck a little. "If you're going to be so shy despite yourself, would you like me to do something first?"

She shivered again, feeling the clarity in her head fog over. She pulsed in many parts, feeling him clearly with as close as she was.

And how hard he already was.

It had been a long month and even more agonizing two weeks. She had been turned around within the last twenty-four hours so bad that she didn't want to come down from the insanity threatening to overtake her. She wanted to lose herself in everything and fall into the pit again.

"We don't have to though." He murmured, voice husky. His heart rate matched hers, blending in a mismatched sync of nerves and anticipation. "You know I won't ever force yourself to do anything that you don't want to. But, I also won't stop you from don't something you want to either."

He never had; he probably never would. No matter what befell her or held her back. If she needed him, he would be there to give whatever he could.

That thought had her hand inching down his sweater for the buckle of his jeans, having fallen from the precipice.

She was unable to say anything, as usual. She didn't have time to feel like they had been years ago because the last few months loomed in front of her. She stayed quiet, too scared to speak, but let history and her hands use the knowledge they had accumulated and flick the clasp off his belt.

He burned when her fingers walked their way past fabric and found him. The breath hitched in his throat and he lost control when her fingers squeezed and moved against him, slow and shy as if this were her first time...as if this weren't her hundredth time.

His hands moved as he lost his mind and lightly grasped her chin. He pushed her head up enough to grasp her ear with his teeth and nibbled, getting a gasp from her. Her hand clenched in response and the breath left him in a whoosh. "Mari...nette..."

She shivered at the words in her ear. That tone which had always done so much damage, the hands that knew every inch of her, was next to her right now. Time erased itself and stopped for her own selfish needs. Her sense of propriety threw the door open and ran away in embarrassment.

She fumbled past fabric for the skin of his neck and licked him. Her ears picked up the muted noises, the need to touch him escalating. She sucked on his neck, feeling the minute stubble of the morning on his chin.

He let her do as she pleased for as long as his sanity remained intact...which was all of the time it took for her lips to apply pressure.

He pushed her back and stuck a hand under her shirt. His fingers expertly roamed, seeing everything under the fabric he soon pulled to her neck to expose what he so desperately wanted to touch. His mouth descended, tongue trailing lines in its wake over her chest, delighting in the noises she tried to mute.

Her hands gripped his hair, pushing him down and demanding more. Teeth bit her lip, chest heaving as she panted and mewled his name, begging him not to stop. When he shifted over her, her hips bucked up and pressed against him, doing more damage than she ever thought possible.

In a second, her legs wrapped around his waist and pulled him down. He complied and rubbed against her, getting her moans in his ear and threatening to deafen him. He gladly went as he pushed again and again, feeling the sweat break out on his forehead.

She knew what he could give and couldn't wait any longer. "Nath...aniel..." She whispered, pulling his sweater up. The lithe, toned body she knew so well awaited her hands. "Please...please..."

He had needed her that night in his room as he had needed her every night since she left his room unsatisfied and frustrated. Her portraits had seen much use in multiple scenarios: outlets for his lust, for his feelings for her. He had spent far too many days apart from her...now to be quenched for a while longer.

He tugged the pajama pants off her legs, helping her out of the top as well. She unzipped his jeans and he tried to shuck them off as best as he could without getting out from the covers. The underwear was the easiest part and then there was nothing to keep him from her.

She heard the crinkle of plastic and then he touched her so deeply, so suddenly, that she gasped and her back rose to greet him. She clutched him as tightly as she could, feeling how hot he was and widened her legs further when he moved out and in again.

Her nails hurt so good, her arms trying to press him into her skin. She begged, heartfelt words whispered in his ear as hurriedly as she could make them. He tried to go slow, to enjoy every inch of her at all angles, inside and out. The heat she made was too welcoming and he soon gave her the pace she wished for.

She moved with him, frantic, knowing what was awaiting her and yet needing to just feel him. It felt like an eternity since she had known him, had the ability to be touched where only he knew how. He knew everything and there was no shyness in being with him right now. Their history wiped away the present every time and she always was allowed the power to have these moments once they started.

The time apart had been too great, his movements too good. She clutched at him and choked his name, pleaded him to go until the end of days, to kill her like this in the most blissful way possible. She never wanted him to stop, needing him to go as fast as he could.

He had long ago told her that such things were his undoing. Saying his name as she kept doing was his undoing. That breathy pitch of her voice that he wished he could capture and repeat in his room.

His arms wrapped around her, pressing her to him so tightly as he buried himself against her. He gasped her name in her ear, pulse after pulse driving him on. It had been too long since he felt this, felt such a thing with her. Time with himself was never the same, could never be the same. Such bliss that he shared with her, only with her, and never with anyone else. Could never bring himself to share with anyone else.

She panted, wishing for nothing more than water when they slowed to a stop. Or sleep; sleep would have been just as good. So would that breakfast he mentioned. She lay under him, feeling everything and pondering just what she wanted to do. Out of all the possibilities, class and work were never in that list.

It felt too much like old times and she didn't want to lose that yet! When he left, she would be forced to stow everything away, grow up, and get on with the plan she had chosen for herself. For even a few more hours, she wanted to enjoy the simple aspect as feeling his skin and looking at his smile...maybe even that breakfast he mentioned.

Moving away from her was hard and he resisted for as long as he could. He pushed back and looked to her, finding her watching him without sadness, or hesitation, or guilt. His lips twitched, happy she seemed better than her usual recoil after such events.

"I'm so thirsty..." She murmured, breaking into a giggle.

He smiled and took that as his cue to move away. He regretfully did so, the chill of the early morning greeting them and getting a whine from her. He watched her throw her clothes on to keep warm before she got up and snatched the glass off the floor on her way to the bathroom.

It was a quick decision to get a shower because she needed to at least wash her face. She tried to hurry, her stomach demanding penance for ignoring it yesterday. She inhaled two full glasses of water, trying to appease it that way until she could get ready.

A towel around her torso and one around her head, she stuck her head out of the bathroom and found him still huddled under the blanket, looking very much like he had gone back to sleep.

Hands slammed over her hips just before she marched over and pulled on the comforter. He complained at the loss of heat and pulled the covers as close to his face as he could. She smirked and sat on the bed, leaning over him a little. "Wakey, wakey, Monsieur Kurtzburg. Clean up if you want so we can go get food! I'm starving."

She was so much happier than any other time they had spent together that he pressed his luck. His hands snuck out from the warm confines and wrapped around her back, getting heat from her skin and a shriek from her. "You're so warm." He responded, nuzzling her cheek with barest traces of stubble on his chin.

Her legs kicked at the sweat on his face touching her, the towel coming undone around her head and onto his face as she squirmed. "Stop it! Gross! Go shower!" She squealed. The smile on her face told him to keep going, which he did, and keep her a willing prisoner to his ministrations. "You're all sweaty! I just cleaned up!" She whined. An arm came out and slapped his chest under the covers.

He heaved a sigh, feigning a put out look, and let her go. She pouted down at him, tongue sticking out as she grabbed both towels which had fallen off in the fray.

He could have easily ignited a second time at seeing her stark naked in her room, trying to get a towel around her hair. The arch of her spine, the curve of her neck, the angle of her legs...he wished he could hurry home and paint it for later, but knew it'd stay with him long enough to be put on canvas.

He pulled the towel off after she threw it at his face and stepped from the bed. "Go clean up." She reiterated, heading to her dresser. With a mental sigh, he watched her cover some of the best parts he loved to draw with a frilly bra and panties before giving in and heading to the shower. As always, he used her things, not caring that they smelled really good. She had long ago complained that his hair was much softer than hers and told him to use her shampoos ever since.

He shuffled into the clothes lying all over the floor and looked at her once he had finished the buckle. He took an extra, greedy second to memorize the black pants, boots, and white shirt peeking out from her coat and scarf. She smirked when their eyes met and lightly tipped the hand-crafted Stetson on her head.

"I'm painting this later." He blurted out, cheeks slightly warm.

She grinned, hands going behind her back. "Well you'll have some time to memorize the outfit. Let's go get some food!"

"Coffee shop down the street, right?"

The same one she had been to just the other day. She refused to acknowledge that fact, being sure to find a different seat than where she sat recently so as not to spoil this new memory.

Just a little longer; she wanted to remain in the past just a little longer! Too soon she'd have to say goodbye to the history she was comfortable with and be by herself to do what was needed. She had a lot of catching up to do in everything and it was going to be hard to get ahead to where she'd been. She also refused to think about that, though she mentally cringed at the looming future hours of work she needed to do.

"That one."

01010

He shut the main door to the building, the chill of the morning greeting him. He huddled under his scarf and coat a little more, cursing the winter and trying to pull his hat all the way past his forehead. He grumbled halfway off the frozen patch of lawn, eyes not wanting to open to the sun this morning. He barely paid attention to his surroundings, having gotten another bad night's sleep. He only looked up to check traffic in order to cross the street, when something caught his eye.

Or rather, the sound of a nice laugh and pretty smile.

He was just far enough to see her, but she wasn't paying attention to anything behind her, where he was. She was too concerned with someone on her right, her arm wrapped around a coated arm and a smile being directed to a shock of red hair.

He couldn't see the redhead very well, but the taller stance pointed it to be a male. Even as short as she was, the companion with her gave off the air of masculinity despite the thin frame.

He came to himself when the noise of a car behind him brought him out of himself and he realized he had been staring, had been watching her again. He was caught by the smile she was giving the mysterious male as they waited for the light to change.

He knew that smile; had heard photographer after photographer instruct many female models to give him that same smile. The look she was directing upward also the same. Was she even aware of how much she was showing with that arch of her chin, the glint in her eyes, the closeness in her stance?

He looked away, forcing himself to. It was a surprise to see her so suddenly after all that had transpired, and looking so happy at that. If he had to pick an emotion from the pile he was currently experiencing, he was mostly shocked. He didn't know what else to think in the second.

The last few days had been a maelstrom of situations and emotions. Things had gone from upsetting to good to horrible, and he had still received no word on her condition. Nino sent him a text last night saying he had no word from Alya, who had no new info to give either. Nothing was fixed and he feared letting things continue, but this new scene threw everything into the air and jumble as the pieces fell back to the ground.

Seeing her like this with someone made him as confused as he was unsettled. He thought she had been mad at him. An entire day had passed without knowing she was okay. When he sent word to have her checked on, she was now with someone he didn't know. Given her track record of just work and school, it was unlikely she suddenly took the time to hang out with a friend. He hypothesized the person Alya was waiting on must be the person currently accompanying her somewhere.

His head was starting to hurt from all this and it was too early in the morning to deal with it. He continued his trek to the school as he watched the pair start off the curb for the next street. He watched her point ahead, grabbing coat and insistently pulling. His eyes strayed past her finger and found the same coffee shop looming nearby. He looked away for only a second, stopping near their previous spot on the curb and watching them walk away despite needing to get to class.

They reached the block on the other side before he got a look of the male with her. The features were a touch of feminine and masculine. But good-looking, kind, smiling eyes directed her way.

He watched a small conversation happen and some of her demeanor change. She became shyer, inching away from him with her arms behind her back, head ducked a little. Her companion put a hand on her shoulder, taking a step toward her.

A realization suddenly hit him.

So many time he had watched her work alone, but also spend heated nights with someone. He never got a good look at the other face, but with the degree of intimacy that he was seeing, he bet the companion was this man.

He swallowed harshly as he watched the pair head away from him. He waited until they were practically entering the building, pretty much out of sight, before looking away to the school. He didn't know what to do now, but the morning had turned much more sour than he ever thought it would.

It was stupid that he feel this way at all. She owed him nothing; he owed her nothing. They barely knew each other and he only knew her because of what had transpired between them. He meant nothing to her because apparently someone else meant something to her. He was standing off to the side merely watching, while she had her own life, which was filled with people of her own choosing. Being a bystander was always who he was to her.

Being in the same line of work and knowing how busy she was, whether hearing it from her or having seen it himself, he knew he should have been happy for her as a friend. She seemed genuinely content and elated with the man next to her. Her past was her own, her future not shared with him despite his attempts. He should have been happy for her, but the sting in his heart still refused to go away.

Clenching his jaw, he looked to the concrete below and slowly headed for the school.

 _Marinette's_ _outfit_ _inspiration:_ _valeria4896 tumblr com/post/141393539838/que-padre-seria-que-a-marinette-le-cambiaran-el_


	21. Something is wrong

The days slipped by like they did when life was dull and full of nothing but school. He quietly stood on a pedestal as seamstresses used him as a doll for his father's ideas of upcoming spring fashion designs. His mind was never with the designers, his ears closed to anything they had to say. Homework never registered and he had little drive to do it.

He never got over that one afternoon and even though he told himself to stop thinking about it two days after it happened, an entire week slipped by with his mind full of that scenario.

With him.

With her smile.

With "that look".

He didn't bother to contact her, didn't reach out to say hi when he saw her in the hallways. The back of her head was there that next day as if nothing had happened. SHE looked like nothing had happened.

He was the only one who was stuck in that morning walk to school and thrown around.

Class was absolutely boring; the lessons pointless. He didn't care about any of it, too stuck where he was to get past it. He made it look like he was paying attention and participated where necessary, but only when called upon.

What did he expect? He should have thought nothing about anything. He was but mist that she was walking through. She was never tangible in a way that he could grasp in any means. He had merely clouded her path with his presence, but she seemed to have forgotten about him again because she didn't seek him out and never looked his way whenever he saw her in the halls. The school was just one large building so the likelihood of seeing her was high. But she never inclined her head his way, never locked eyes with his through the masses.

He tried to convince himself shortly after the incident that he missed his opportunity to help her and establish a better friendship. His own weakness, and the fear of what she'd do, kept him from reaching out like he should have. He should have been a better person, should have gotten over his insecurities and inability to deal with people for her sake. She leaned on someone not connected to him, that wasn't him, and moved on. He was just mist; not solid enough to stay, but not light enough to float away and leave.

He supposed he would have believed that and moved on had he not started watching her again.

It was much harder with the curtains closed. During the day he saw nothing and felt like a hopeless fool waiting for something that he knew wouldn't happen anymore. He had made sure to let her know so she made sure it never would. When night fell and her light was on, he watched a vague chunk of body move around. It was hard because he only saw her when she was near the curtains, which wasn't often.

He added details by thinking of what she was doing, if she was walking around her mannequin in thought like she always did. Trying to get the outfit that she was making just right so the customer would be happy. She was very diligent that way and he liked that about her.

It took three days of such actions when he realized there was something wrong with him.

He took a step back from his own emotions to try and see what was going on with him and why he felt like this, why he couldn't stop feeling like this. The unnamed feeling was very pervasive and refused to leave. Any time he was in his room trying to concentrate on homework, his eyes always strayed to the window. Whenever he was in class, he didn't care to be there. Being around designers made his attention stray as far away as possible.

If he had more experience with these things, he might have had a clearer answer much faster. As it was, he spent half of December stewing in this and not paying attention to the hours running away from him. His life slipped back into how it was before they had ever met, to the nights when he was fascinated with this unknown creator across the way. But much worse in that he had a name and a face to put to the talent, but she was just as untouchable as in the beginning.

Any attempt to get an education happened in the small study area deemed a library. It was full of students and quite a bit of murmur went on, the steps of passerbys a constant, so he didn't consider it the same thing. The noise was a helpful distractor though and actually allowed him to come from his mind just enough to soak up the words on the same page he had been trying to read for the last thirty minutes.

His phone vibrated on the table and he quickly went for it before it fell on the floor. The books around him were instantly forgotten.

 _Hey_ _stranger._ _What_ _do_ _you_ _have_ _going_ _on_ _for_ _Noel?_ _We_ _usually_ _do_ _a_ _get-together_ _and_ _Alya_ _said_ _we_ _should_ _invite_ _you._ _How_ _about_ _it?_

He stared at Nino's words. His mind went blank on anything other than an answer that "no, he wasn't doing anything for Noel, like usual".

Noel was any other day. His father was more concerned that there was enough product in stores for the holiday right now and didn't relax until it was time to fully concentrate on his spring designs. Noel was only a time to sleep in and be lazy in his bed for a day. That's the way it had been except for when he actually went to a party during his time in Milan.

The idea was nice and he wanted to spend time with Nino and Alya. He hadn't seen them since the meeting in the cafe almost a month ago. They were all busy doing their own thing and really only connected over texts and a few calls. Perhaps it was time to hang out. He would be a fool to pass up the opportunity. There was no one else to do such things with if he denied the invitation.

His fingers hovered over the keyboard, unable to type whatever it was he wanted to say.

He should have been more concerned that he had no idea what to get everyone, that he was going to be a third wheel in a group of people who had known each other much longer than he had known any of them combined. None of that registered for the returning onslaught he had been stewing in for days now.

 _What's_ _your_ _schedule_ _looking_ _like?_ _Do_ _you_ _have_ _time_ _to_ _meet?_

He sent it before he could think of saying anything afterward. He knew Nino was busy and the likelihood of "no" was high. He didn't really expect an opening to grasp, didn't consider what his words may look like.

 _I_ _can_ _find_ _time._ _What's_ _up,_ _man?_ _You_ _okay?_

"No" immediately went through his head, but it thankfully didn't go into his phone. He wanted to type it so bad, but he couldn't explain himself properly over text without making it into a book. A conversation was better and the presence of his friend might actually bring him out of himself like he needed.

 _I_ _just_ _need_ _your_ _advice_ _on_ _something_ _that's_ _been_ _bugging_ _me_ _for_ _a_ _bit._ _You_ _don't_ _have_ _to._ _I_ _know_ _you're_ _busy._

Seconds after sending his text, he received a response.

 _I'll_ _clear_ _out_ _my_ _evening_ _for_ _a_ _few_ _hours_ _and_ _we_ _can_ _go_ _get_ _a_ _bite_ _to_ _eat_ _if_ _you_ _want._ _Or_ _you_ _can_ _come_ _over_ _to_ _my_ _place_ _for_ _some_ _privacy_ _if_ _it's_ _a_ _touchy_ _subject._ _Your_ _call._

His lips tilted, warmth flooding his chest. This was why he didn't let go of Nino when they met that fateful day. Despite how many jobs he knew Nino had, he was just as important as they were.

 _Thanks_ _Nino._ _I_ _appreciate_ _that._ _I'll_ _bring_ _some_ _food_ _over_ _to_ _your_ _place_ _just_ _in_ _case._

 _You_ _don't_ _have_ _to,_ _but_ _I_ _won't_ _deny_ _free_ _food_ _that_ _much._ _When_ _are_ _your_ _classes_ _done?_

After setting up a time and getting his address, the phone was quiet. His books still stared at him, the page wide open to where he'd left it, but he wanted nothing more than to push it off the table and put his head in its spot.

This was so aggravating! He wanted this to go away! The worst thing was that the culprit was so close to him, yet so far away in so many aspects. He barely belonged nearby and stood around as awkwardly as he felt. Broaching one subject had already caused so many problems and he was loathed to start anything else for making it worse.

His mind was his own undoing and it annoyed him to no end that his graduate days were being filled with so much headache. Floating through the first degree had been the initial plan, and intending on having fun during the second since he would be a staple in the halls. At that point, the next three years would be easy because of all his experience and knowledge.

Traipsing through mud like this was not something he wanted.

He closed the textbook with a loud "whomp", feeling eyes of those around him, but pointedly ignoring them. He threw the books in his bag, knowing he'd get nothing productive done the rest of the day. All he could do was clear his head a little with the cold and that trip to the store for some food to snack on as he unloaded whatever was eating him and hopefully get answers.

01010

Ringing a doorbell was quite a quaint thing and he got the pleasure of doing it a second time before the door was opened.

"Hey Agreste. Wow, you don't look happy at all." Nino swung out of the way, showing a tiny hallway behind him. "Come in. Let me take one of those bags."

"I think I bought too much food." He mumbled, lips tilting at the attempt of a joke.

Nino grinned and hefted the bag to test its weight. "It won't go to waste, trust me."

He shuffled past, taking in the new surroundings and happy he was visiting Nino. The feel of his friend's place was everywhere, even though it was barely bigger than his dorm room. He looked at the minuscule kitchen, nonexistent bedroom, and dresser. It was the size of the closet of his old home, but it looked lived in and comfortable. He liked it and hoped he spent many more days here.

The weight of the other bag in his hand suddenly disappeared as Nino took it and put it on the counter. "Damn man, I hope you didn't spend too much on this trip. I could've made something you know. I AM slightly adept in the kitchen."

"I didn't mean it like that. I just kind of...bought stuff." He mumbled, idly undoing his scarf.

Nino went to the heater in the corner and turned it up a little. "So...what's up?" He finally asked, standing and looking over his friend.

There was nowhere to begin. The initial instance had been lost to time and too many had piled on since then. His mouth opened and closed a few times, a hand going through his hair with a sigh as he tried to find which catalyst set him off like this.

All of this was easily visible and quickly read. Nino ignored saying anything else for a moment and turned for the bags. He grabbed a few bottles of water and handed one over. "Drink this and think for a bit. No rush. I don't work till my shift at the club."

He did just that, feeling grateful he wasn't being pushed to pour his heart out despite coming here to do just that.

He set the empty bottle on the table, no appetite for anything he bought, and plopped on the arm of the couch. "I just feel all messed up." He finally started, trying to figure out how to begin.

"How long has this been going on?" Nino asked, taking up the other side.

"A few weeks. It started eating at me the next day when I saw her walking with someone after you were going to send someone to check on her."

"Her?" A brow went up, confusion already setting in. "I'm out of the loop on all of this. You're going to have to give me way more details here, man."

Such a request ended up in a very lengthy, very complicated story of the days he spent wasting his time in class; the inability to study; going back to watching Marinette in a way to reconnect; from the day he saw her with some unknown person and smiling like she did. He continued on to the day he confessed to having watched her, of taking her out for food, of getting to laugh with her and see her back to her dorm. He went back over what he had seen that same night with her curtains newly closed and all the worry he experienced since. Nothing was left out because he knew Nino needed the info, but he also couldn't stop talking once he began.

"This is all so messed up." He mumbled, fiddling with nothing as a means to keep his hands busy. "I can't think properly and yet my head won't stop going! Sleeping at night is almost out of the question and it takes forever to drop off. I don't even concentrate in classes and this whole thing has me messed up, which is the most annoying thing. I just want it to go away!"

Nino was silent as he took the whole thing in. He took this new puzzle piece that was his friend and mentally connected it to this aspect of his personality.

It was more than shocking to know Adrien had been watching his friend for a year. The extra details were very...interesting to say the least, but gave so many clues to his recent behavior. The hypothesis Nino had going on was so easy and cliche, but telling Adrien what was going on with him wasn't going to make him happy for more reasons than Marinette just "being busy".

If there was anything he didn't want to do, it would be to tell Adrien he had no chance with Marinette and why.

Nino ran a hand through his hair, trying not to outwardly cringe at what loomed before him. Things had become so much more complicated than merely listening to whatever was bothering his friend. The intricate and utterly complexity of this whole picture had him sighing from it all as the only thing he could get out in that second.

"That's...just...wow." Nino rested his arms over his knees, hands clasping together. Dark eyes stared at his skin, feeling the awaiting eyes of his friend as he gathered himself. "You've got yourself a tangled mess, I'll admit." He finally looked up and locked eyes with sullen green. "I'm not just saying that because the person you'd been watching all year turned out to be Marinette and she's busy with school and fashion stuff." His mouth pulled back in a slight grimace, hand going through his hair. "There's so much more to this than you know, man, and it's only going to make everything so much worse. I honestly don't know if I want to tell you any of it."

He slid off the armrest onto the cushion, eyes avidly watching his friend. "What's the matter? You have to tell me; I need to know. I feel like I can understand so much more if you tell me."

There was a sense of being outside everything, as if he had only met Nino yesterday and was still on mere introductory terms. He stared at the tanned youth across the way, not liking the grim look on Nino's face. The info his friend possessed was from a past he didn't share, didn't yet know of. It was not a comforting feeling.

Nino was silent for what felt like forever, gathering his thoughts and the memories as he knew them. He knew his version of the story wasn't good enough, but it was the only explanation Adrien had right now. The right phrasing wasn't going to help because this should really be coming from someone other than him.

He sighed again, a hand scrubbing his face. He took off his glasses, nervously twirling them between his fingers for a second. "Marinette has been going through...a few things ever since she graduated from Sorbonne." He quietly began, really not wanting to say anything. "This last year has been really hard on her and it's about as convoluted as what you're going through now, though the scenario is different."

The next words were attempted, but unable to be pushed out for a moment. His mouth opened, courage ready to say what needed to be said, but died before his tongue could form the syllables. The glasses slipped past his temple, slowly resting on his nose.

"She's already in a relationship, man." His head slowly shook. "Well...not really. She's kind of friends, but we all know she's not with him. They broke up shortly after she entered ISC because she told Alya she wasn't being fair to him and was ignoring him. That's what Alya has told me; I was working too much at the time to get into any of it. Alya told me what Marinette told her, so I'm a third party on this; just remember that. This whole thing has involved too many people for too long."

His eyes narrowed in confusion. "So she's seeing someone and that's what I saw that night? The extra person she was with was the guy with the red hair? But she's not actually going out with him?" The fog returned and he shook his head against it. "This is too confusing!"

"It has been for a while and that's one reason why I was happy to be too far away to get too into it." Nino groused, going for another water. He passed another to Adrien, who only held it in his hands.

"She's been going out with Nathaniel since they entered Sorbonne and he noticed her after meeting her again. I think they finally made it official about two months into their first year." A hand scratched the stubble on his chin as he tried to think back to the old days. "They were pretty together...of course, they had a lot of the same classes because they were art majors. I was in the music field, so I saw them whenever we hung out, which was often. She was never apart from him for long and visa versa. Seemed totally okay with it."

Hearing about her dating excursions wasn't really what he wanted to be listening to right now, but this kind of history was dire to sorting everything out. As much as he wanted to interrupt Nino's explanation. As much as it was wiping his emotions empty.

"Sorbonne was a lot of fun and good times. Can't complain and sometimes I miss those days when we all hung out with each other." Nino's lips twitched up as the memories came to him. "Ivan and I were in music; Marinette, Juleka, and Nathaniel were in art; Alya was in the CELSA branch for literary and science stuff; and Mylene and Rose were in language and linguistics. Alya was a little farther away, being in a different section of the university, but we were a huge group at the end of first year. By that winter, the pairs had been selected and we were four groups of couples. Mylene helped Ivan write songs for his music, Marinette was Nathaniel's art muse, Alya gave me details on how I needed to get started with my business, and Rose was Juleka's inspiration."

"I'm not too sure what everyone is doing nowadays, being busy and really only connecting with them on social media or text. We occasionally find the time to hang out whenever our schedules open up or a major holiday comes around. That's what I was going to invite you to." He sat forward, smile on his face. "We all get together at Noel somewhere, usually at Marinette's, and have food and chat about the old days. Gifts optional; we just like drinking together and laughing."

It didn't sound like something he should go to, since none of it would involve him in the slightest. He was happy for the invite though and it warmed him to think that Nino was trying to let him participate in his circle of friends.

"So the guy's name is Nathaniel." He heard himself say, quickly going for his water to hide his embarrassment.

Nino nodded, taking a drink as well. "They went out for three years at Sorbonne, but a few months into her first year at ISC, Alya told me Marinette broke down and broke up with him. Since you're in the business, you can relate to how occupied you get and how you can't think of anything else when you have things to make. Alya said that was the main reason. Those two went back to being friends, which is stupid considering their history, and ever since it's been more complicated than she needed to make it. She keeps going around and around with her past with Nathaniel and goes crying to Alya about every few weeks to a month, which is usually every time she hangs out with Nathaniel and does 'something'."

"Something" turned out to be some of those times he witnessed late at night and he was well-versed enough to know what that was, even if he forced himself to step away from watching.

His hands gripped the glass, jaw tight. It didn't make him feel better in the slightest to know there was someone in her life, but he mentally chided himself. What did he expect? Just because he had watched her didn't mean she was going to run to him with open arms! A proper reaction was to get freaked out and take measures to make sure such things didn't happen again, like what she had done.

"Alya keeps telling her to take him back or boot him out for good because it annoys everyone around her with as much as she dances around him, and I agree." Nino gave the floor a hard look. "She's not the only one in such a hard time; Alya and I have been doing the pretty much the same thing for an entire year, too. The main thing that's different is that we haven't given up on each other and know that we need to wait out her schooling before anything else can happen. Personally, I think Mar just needs to pull her head out of her ass and realize how much worse she's making everything and accept Nathaniel for both of their sakes. It's only two more years. Nathaniel doesn't seem to want to let go so I think she should just suck it up and tough it out."

He looked to the floor, the amount of information having floored him. It effectively jogged him from the funk he had been experiencing for days, only to be replaced with something more unsettling.

'What did you think was going to happen? She was going to look to you all of a sudden? Your history with her means nothing to her! She has her own life to think of.'

Telling himself he was being stupid did nothing to alleviate the emotions that kept taunting him. The details he received might have explained a few things and filled in a lot of holes from that night after their second meeting, but it didn't help him in the slightest. He only felt more outside the situation than before, yet even more stuck in himself than he wanted.

Such emotions played across his face and Nino saw them all. "I'm sorry, Adrien...I didn't want to say anything to you about it. I knew it wasn't going to help you."

He looked up and merely tilted his head to the side, unable to phrase any question properly...not trusting himself to speak.

Nino sighed. "Don't think that I'm blind, Agreste. If you can't see it, then there's no helping you more than this. I can spell it out for you, but it's still not going to help you."

His eyes narrowed, something poking him up the spine uncomfortably.

Nino was silent for a bit before finally throwing caution to the wind. It may be what Adrien needed and he mentally justified himself with that thought. "Why would you watch her for an entire year just because you were 'curious' about her fashion abilities? You're a smart guy Adrien and you've been in the business for a long time. Staring at someone that late in the night for that long and watching everything she makes said it all when you could have been done with a night's worth." He stared into green. "You like her, man, and that's the depth of your problem. I hate to break it to you, but you have no chance. With as much headache as she creates around Nathaniel, she's not over him. He's definitely in no way over her with as devoted as he is. You're better off to cut your losses and move on. Find some model to get involved with instead. I'm sorry, Adrien."

He supposed the notion had always been there, hidden under pretenses and other pointless words. It did explain a lot, but it also created a void where everything had been eating him. The sense of hollowness, of upset, of melancholy that hit him was much worse than anything he experienced in the last week.

It had been a long year. Many late nights he could have been sleeping were spent admiring her work habits and body move around a mannequin. It sunk into his brain and created a silent niche, one he had never bothered to examine or address. He let the excuse and his intrigue cover the real reason and ignored it, fed it...nourished it unknowingly. It only forced itself to be known when he found a face and a name much closer than he ever thought she was. Now that he knew, there was nothing he could do with these properly termed feelings and that was perhaps the worst thing.

What was the point in going to her and speaking of such things if she was still obsessed over someone else? He had already made her miserable; why destroy her entirely? Why let himself be destroyed entirely?


	22. Time with you

Noel was approaching fast. The orders came in without end and it was impossible to conceive getting them done on time, let alone in the right order from those who paid the extra shipping. The lack of sleep she had been getting the last week alone should have sent her to a hospital to recuperate. Despite the schoolwork piling up and how much coffee she was running on, she wasn't wavering.

She stole a one second glance to the occupant on her bed.

" _I'll_ _be_ _the_ _one_ _to_ _love_ _whom_ _I_ _choose_ _and_ _you're_ _not_ _one_ _to_ _correct_ _me_ _on_ _my_ _own_ _emotions."_

Teeth nibbled her lower lip, eyes focusing on the needle she was trying to stick into the fabric.

" _I've_ _been_ _walking_ _here_ _with_ _you_ _with_ _my_ _hand_ _out_ _the_ _entire_ _time_ _waiting_ _for_ _you_ _to_ _finally_ _see_ _that."_

Her lips pressed together to quell a smile, grabbing an extra pin from the cushion on her wrist as she looked to the cuts she had to sew together.

" _I know that if I can be patient for a little longer, then things will be much better soon."_

Her smile fell a little and she stole another look across the way, finding green eyes and raised brows. She quickly twisted her back to him, though she bet he knew just how flustered she was.

" _I will always love you. I haven't stopped loving you for four years."_

The smile returned, her heart fluttering with it. Usually she would berate herself for losing concentration and focus, and allowing herself to become attached to something that she wasn't working on in that second, but it was hard to be mad at herself with him here.

Things were different enough to allow something of a happy medium for all and she was somewhat thankful to him for suggesting it. She wasn't completely happy that such things were occurring, but it was something of a salve to her emotions and probably his as well.

" _I don't have to be touching you or even talking to you, you know. I'm happy just being near you."_

" _But I feel like I'm ignoring you!"_

" _You can look at me as much as you want while you work and I can occupy myself in the meantime. I can bring my sketchpads and doodle to get ideas for future art work if I need to."_

" _All you're going to do is draw me naked again."_

" _You found me out." Laughter. "In all seriousness though, I don't mind it so long as I can be with you. That is what I cherish more than filling up the time with amazing adventures."_

He had been sitting on her bed, quiet as a mouse, for the last thirty minutes since she let him into her room. She had been unable to do much at the time because she had a few pins stuck in her mouth which were going into a blouse she was still putting together to sew. He promptly pulled them from her mouth and stuck them in the pin cushion strapped to her wrist, chiding her on being so careless. He then marched right into the room, moved bolts of cloth on her bed out of the way, and pulled out his sketchpads and charcoal.

He had been doing that since she let him in and the sound of charcoal moving hadn't ceased since.

There was pretty much no talking, save from the mental tirade in her head that wouldn't leave her alone. He seemed content not to speak and was drawing as she worked. It was strange and she felt bad for not conversing even small talk because she needed to concentrate. She stopped saying such things after the first meet-up because he admonished her for "thinking she needed to do anything when staring at his muse as she worked was enough".

Her cheeks heated at the memory, head ducking a little.

The pencil paused, a thoughtful hum coming from the bed.

She looked over to find his critical eye on her, as it had been during Sorbonne, and she knew he was sizing her up somehow. He was probably sketching her again, like he often did when he came over. The thought made her shiver just a little.

She gave in to his hobby, so long as it wasn't anything too horrible. When she requested to see what he did before she let him head home, the work was only body parts of her working. A hand in motion, lips tightened in thought, squinted eyes looking for flaws.

Any time he came over and just sat on her bed this late in the day, drawing her or something that came to mind, she wanted to say that he didn't need to put himself out like he always did. She didn't want him staying up with her till midnight as she worked on orders and she felt bad whenever she saw him rubbing his eyes.

The few times he fell asleep in her room and she ended up cuddled up next to him overnight, she yelled at him for what they were doing and suggested he only spend an hour instead of waiting up until she was also tired and ready to sleep. He merely waved off her concern-laced annoyance and said he could sleep whenever he wanted.

The insufferable, adorable idiot...

With Noel so close, she didn't have time to argue with him and even got him to help her in a few instances that required more than two hands, which would have cost her a lot more time if she did it herself. Even when some of those times were way past the sun going down, he happily did whatever she needed and never complained. She mentally knew that whatever she made him for Noel was going to have to be as amazing as all the help he had given her over the last few days.

Despite the amount of complaining that she verbally did, there was a notable part in the back of her head that felt complete whenever he was in her room like they were. When her classes were done and she hurried back to the dorms to work, she never could fully concentrate because she knew he'd be done once his schedule opened up. Sewing seemed dull until the knock on her door startled her from the funk.

She didn't want to be that happy at his suggestion, but anytime she looked his way and saw him there, having the ability to do so, it would make her smile. She never said much whenever she looked his way, but she had slightly come to accept that she didn't need to. She did her thing while he did his, although she knew he brought something so he wouldn't be bored while she worked. If he had something to do, she wouldn't feel as bad at seeing him just sitting around.

Sometimes she wanted to make small talk, just to talk to him. She had grown comfortable enough with his presence in the room and part of her wanted more than that. Even though they had worked out that he would just be in her room and watch her work. Though she initially didn't want him to put himself out that way, she was becoming greedy. She couldn't stop, but she wanted to stop working to sit next to him and watch him sketch.

Anytime those thoughts came to her, she mentally shoved them away and forcefully focused on whatever she needed to get in the mail by tomorrow. She refused to let herself get more attached to what he was doing more than she already had because she had sewing to do. This was only something of a middle ground for both of them.

Although, there was that one irking thought that he was spending more time with her than his family.

His sister was going to kill her, and she cringed whenever she envisioned the woman's face and the glare that would be directed her way. It made her want to put a stop to these regular events permanently, especially with Noel almost there. Mentioning such things to him was nothing he was even concerned with though.

" _My mother has supported every step of my life, whether you have been in it or not. She'll understand if I want to hang out over here during dinner a few times a week. My sister will have to understand as well that you've always been important to me and if I can spend time with you like this, even if it cuts into time with them, that's what I'm going to do."_

His stubbornness was never-ending, but she was flattered because of it. He would either be over when his family was eating or just after. Either way, he would have food from his gracious mother every almost time.

Speaking of...

Her stomach protested ignoring it and let her know again. After the fourth time, she paused and went for the water safely perched out of the way on her desk.

"You need actual food. It's eleven-ten."

She looked his way, the bottle almost to her lips. "I'm not that hungry..." She mumbled, taking another drink in attempt to silence it.

The notepad closed and was tossed on the bed. "Don't make me touch you."

She immediately eyed his hands, finding them fairly coated in black, and her eyes widened a little. Her grip on the plastic bottle tightened, crinkling it a little at the playful threat. "You wouldn't dare."

The abrupt, evil smile on his face told her he absolutely would and would love every second of it.

She looked down at the bright colors she had on, not wanting to have to spend time cleaning charcoal out of them because he punished her for not eating. Her eyes jerked to his when he took a step for her, almost upon her and definitely within arm's reach. She squeaked when his hand reached out and backed up against the desk. Her hip bumped the sewing machine and she startled. "Don't make me break anything!" She retorted, glaring at his smile.

"Then take a break." His hands slowly extended, fingers flexing as if he were going to grab her cheeks. She quickly grasped his wrists, though his strength could overpower her any day. His brow rose and he took another step, using the length of his arms to twist hers behind her. He looked down into her eyes, feeling too pleased with himself for upsetting her. "Get some food in you. Come on, mother made stew this time."

She yelped when his hand came down right on the back pocket of her jeans. "Don't get my pants dirty!" She berated, hitting his chest with her fist.

He looked behind to check his work and looked less than happy. "Hmm, missed the thumb..." His hand came up and swiped his thumb over her cheek, leaving pitch black in its wake. "That's better." He smiled.

"I'm going to kick you out!" She grit out, glaring at him. Before he could retaliate, she took his hand and lightly slapped his face with it, getting a hand-print. "Ha!"

His eyes playfully narrowed. "As if I don't already have that on my face." He rebutted, his other hand coming up and making a line down her neck. "Now get some food. Would be a shame to put a black mark on your shirt in the worst of ways..."

Her mouth fell open when his fingers hovered over their target. She pushed him away and covered her breasts with her arms, glaring at his laughter at her expense. She lost some irritation at hearing it though.

"I'm going, I'm going. Leave me alone! I'm working!" She groused, stomping for the front door. She grabbed the glass container out of the fridge and stuck it in the microwave.

Seconds later, the sound of the sink met her ears and then was silent. She looked over to find him drying his now clean hands on a towel.

He leaned against the wall, too happy at her upset. "Should I feed you again, Mademoiselle?" His grin widened. "I seem to recall you really liked it."

Her face heated in remembrance at how feeding her led to making out and then sex on the floor.

Her finger whipped in his direction. "You stay away from me, you terrible person you!"

He chuckled at her expense and watched her grab two spoons before heading back for the main part of the room. She moved the mannequin to its corner and took the pin cushion off her wrist for the desk.

"I should get a low table from mama one of these days." She thoughtfully mused, using a one-step, mini stool for the time being.

He shrugged and took his spoon from her, trying not to get sauce on the floor. They ate in silence, him much less than her at seeing how she picked up the pace after the first few bites. "Hungry?"

She pointedly ignored his amused stare. "Quiet, I'm eating." She mumbled around her spoon.

He chuckled and let her have her fill, knowing it was more for her than him anyway. He washed the dish when she finished, not letting her into the bathroom to do so despite her protests. "When do you think you'll be able to head to bed tonight?" He queried, shaking his hands to get the water out.

She sighed and looked at all the work spread everywhere. Three things could get finished tonight for the mail tomorrow if she put in a few more hours work, but her eyes hurt. The food perked her up a bit, but the many late nights were more than wearing on her.

Teeth nibbled her lip. If she said she needed to wait a while longer, he would be up with her the entire time and refuse to go home until she slept. One o'clock wasn't too far away, but it would cause him to lose sleep for his job tomorrow.

She sighed. This was one of the detriments of him being here. She worried more for his safety than her own, which he did back to her. "Check back with me at midnight." She murmured, wanting to get the blouse at least pinned for stitching tomorrow. The buttons would be the last detail after putting it together and then she'd be done with it.

Knitting it was then.

She plopped on the other side of the bed when he took up his previous spot. He left the sketchpad in his lap as he watched her concentrate on a pattern she was making on the hat.

Her talent honestly amazed him to no end. It rivaled his and he wondered if that was one reason why he was so drawn to her. She was astounding and by just doing the things she did, drove people to want to be near her. She had her flaws, as did he, but he bypassed them for the ability to see her make something from her head and let someone else use it for as long as they wanted.

Their end roads were so similar; only the concrete items were different. He wanted to sell his art to the world and have it in as many homes as possible, while she wanted the people to collect her creations and wear them every day. They really were similar and that's why he felt he understood her dream better than anyone.

"If you plan on sketching anything else, you might want to get started. I think I'll stop once I get the hat knitted and the scarf half done."

He idly picked up the charcoal stick, staining his fingers again, but not feeling like making anything else to add to the three pages he already doodled tonight. "I think I'm good." He muttered, carefully putting everything away. He washed his hands again and took his place next to her to find her sewing in the tail on the hat.

He picked it up once she was done and put it on his head, getting a scowl. "How do I look?"

"Get that off your head; that's for someone else." She chided, shaking her head. She pulled it off him when he didn't immediately comply and put it on the other side of her for safe-keeping.

He shook his head to smooth his hair. "Are you going to have time to get to my own present I wonder?" He kidded, eyes gleaming playfully.

She only gave him a look. "Your presents have already been mentally designed and I already have the materials in my room. I only need a few hours to get them done and then you can have them."

"Yea?" He grinned, adjusting his stance in a sense of anticipation. The mention of more than one had him wishing it were Noel already. "Well, you can give them to me at the party. I won't know what they are around all this anyway." He looked to the mess on her floor, the items in open boxes, and mostly covered mannequin.

She smiled and began the fifth row on the scarf. "Is it at the usual time?"

He thoughtfully hummed as he remembered the last few years. "If your parents allow it, it will be. Otherwise, I'm sure we can have it at my place. My mother won't mind, and my sister will probably be out with her boyfriend anyway."

"The last place I want to be is your home where your sister might be."

He grinned and leaned against the wall. "I'm sure your parents will be willing to let us use the bakery's kitchen again. So long as we don't go waltzing into the front and make it look like they're open, we should be fine."

She snorted. "That place isn't going to be big enough for everyone if Nino and Ivan get carried away with music like they did last year."

"I'm sure Alya can keep Nino in line. Mylene will just worry that Ivan will make a mess and keep him subdued well enough."

She smiled. "I'm sure we can take the living room and kitchen on the third floor so long as we don't wake mama and papa below." She snuck a peek at him. "So long as no one lets Juleka drink as much wine as she did."

He laughed, the memory coming to him. "Why not? It was amusing watching short, little Rose tackle her. I bet we have as much fun this year as we did last year, no matter which section of the house we're in."

"I still need to let them know we'll be taking over the place for a few hours." She mumbled, mouth scrunching up.

"I'm sure they're already aware." He patted a knee before stretching his legs out near her work and almost knocking her needle astray.

She gave him a quick look. "Don't fall asleep like that. If you're tired, head home for your bed."

His eyes closed, fingers clasping together over his stomach. "As much as I'd like to sleep in your bed instead, I suppose I may." Green peeked open. "So long as you're done?"

She gave the needles she was moving an annoyed look. "I'm almost to the stopping point I want; just five more lines. Think you can hold out that long?"

"I'll just watch you until then." He mused, eyes sliding closed on their own.

She worked as quickly as she could without messing anything up. There was no more chatter from either of them and she kept her eyes down to finish the pattern which actually required a bit of concentration. When she finally got to where she needed to be for the night, she looked up and scowled.

Of course he'd be asleep!

She sighed and dropped the knitting into her lap. "What am I going to do with you?" She mumbled, waving a hand in front of his face. He didn't respond. Hands went to her hips. "You can't just sleep like that you loafer. Get up."

She got off the bed and put her things away, but he still hadn't stirred. She stared down at him, mouth scrunched up. She wasn't going to make him head home when he was so tired because it was a long walk home. The buses weren't working this late and she hated the idea of him trekking through the cold.

One of the reasons he stayed over so often despite leaving so early because she had school.

She gave the ceiling a helpless look before putting her face in her hands. It was late and he was asleep. She could move him a little, but he was still dead weight and they were going to sleep all awkward again unless he woke up. With a sigh, looking around the room, she decided to get ready for bed at least.

It wasn't until her sweater was off, jeans unbuttoned, that she looked to the curtains.

She stared at them, jaw tight at the thought of what she had done over the last year until a few weeks ago. Everything had been visible to the world, to him. Her level of nudity, her working, her time with Nathaniel. He had the option to see all of it and she wondered if she was still visible to him. The pins were still in the same spots when she first put them there and her eyes locked on them.

After countless moments, she mentally shook herself from such thoughts and finished getting her pjs on.

Cleaning around him was easier than trying to get under the covers. Once the light was off and her eyes adjusted, she tried to get him conscious enough to scoot up to the headboard without fully waking him. Once she got them somewhat adjusted for the night, she tucked them both in and gave him a kiss on the forehead before she could stop herself. "Goodnight Nathaniel." She whispered, rolling over.


	23. An emotional rollercoaster

" _I'm_ _not_ _going_ _to_ _force_ _you_ _to_ _come,_ _but_ _you're_ _still_ _invited_ _if_ _you_ _wish_ _to_ _show_ _up._ _Again,_ _you_ _don't_ _have_ _to_ _get_ _anyone_ _anything,_ _since_ _it'd_ _be_ _your_ _first_ _time_ _meeting_ _most_ _of_ _everyone."_

He sighed as quietly as possible, pencil tapping in his textbook.

" _I_ _'m_ _sorry_ _that_ _the_ _news_ _you_ _were_ _looking_ _for_ _isn't_ _good,_ _Adrien._ _I_ _feel_ _bad_ _telling_ _you."_

Green eyes idly strayed across the pittance of the "library", dully watching students move from one side of the open area to another.

" _If_ _you_ _need_ _to_ _talk_ _to_ _me,_ _just_ _send_ _me_ _a_ _text_ _and_ _I'll_ _be_ _sure_ _to_ _make_ _time_ _for_ _you._ _I_ _can't_ _make_ _you_ _feel_ _better,_ _but_ _I_ _can_ _at_ _least_ _listen_ _to_ _your_ _troubles as your_ _friend."_

He was mostly upset at himself and had been since he left Nino's place for his dorm. The situation sucked, that was for sure, but all of the irritation he felt was self-directed and replaced most of everything else he had been feeling for so long.

What did he think was going to happen? He shouldn't have gotten his hopes up, whatever they may have been, and expected anything. It wasn't like this was the first time he had feelings of any kind for someone he deemed amazing and the other didn't, or couldn't, reciprocate them. Too many issues during his first year of his undergrad days, too many times in Milan...now this. Whether he was the only one who wanted anything or the girl was taken by someone else, or too overwhelmed by his family's history. There was always something.

Defeat wasn't a new emotion, but it was never wanted anytime it slapped him across the face. It was something he tried to hide from because it was pervasive and took a while to get over. His mind went around and around about the situation from all angles, all emotions exhausting themselves until he forced something else to gain his attention.

The more he went over Nino's words and the gravity of what awaited him, he became more and more irritated with himself for getting attached without being patient. HE had jumped into this and allowed himself to get in too deep with her without ever approaching her and talking to her. She was so close and yet he never bothered to take a step for her ever since the beginning. He stayed in the shadows and watched her, developing feelings he never acted on, and only let the lingering need to know burn its way through his brain.

The current ending wasn't anywhere remotely close to happy and he was stuck with trying to close the book he was in.

He was an idiot for letting things get to this point and that angered him the most. His curiosity had screwed him over and instead of considering far into the future or what may happen if he sought her out, he unconsciously pined after her like a fool. Perhaps, had he acted on his original irritation and knocked on her door last year, right after she broke up with Nathaniel, he might have possibly had a chance before the two ever reconciled a little. It would be a cheap shot to their relationship by stepping in for his own personal reasons, but he wouldn't be here right now, that was for sure.

He supposed he should be happy that he went to Nino with this instead of talking to Marinette first. He had wanted to be friends with her more than anything, but that night and the morning soon after threw him into something he didn't think would happen. She unconsciously started something during that simple trek to a cafe with someone she had been with for a long time. She had nothing to apologize for, nothing to explain, not even a reason to console him.

His heart rate sped up as he put his face in his hands with a sigh. The open area with all its inhabitants became empty space for the blood rushing through his ears. He hated feeling like an idiot for what he had done, even if he hadn't confessed anything to her. He might as well have been for what he felt.

Green eyes glared at the words on the pages, wishing them to burn to nothing. Coming here to try and study did absolutely nothing with the way he felt. School was not a distractor in the slightest. Not with her in the same walls.

Moments later, he threw his books in his bag, not able to tolerate sitting still anymore. He was about to do something drastic and he didn't want anyone talking. As it was, his behavior was already unfitting for the magazines. He didn't need that getting circulated and people asking questions he didn't want to answer.

There was nothing he could do to occupy his mind at his room or school. He couldn't be around where she was. He needed something to wipe his head clean and flood it with something else for even a little while. Only one thing presented itself and he hurried back to his dorm to dump his books, hand fumbling for his phone.

01010

Being rich had a lot of advantages. Being a model with a personal trainer was one of them. Especially when they were pretty much being paid to spend time with him and make sure he was top notch.

It wasn't something he utilized often, but constant physical activity would surely help combat against all of the mental chaos that was driving him nuts. Anything would help. Weights, running, sports...anything. It had to. He couldn't take much more of this!

He tossed the rest of his regular clothes in the locker and clicked the lock shut. Double-checking the laces on his shoes, he rolled his neck and headed to the towel counter where his trainer was waiting and chatting with one of the employees.

The pair locked eyes and the man smiled, grabbing a small towel as he moved away. "Anything specific in mind that you'd like to work on first?"

He grabbed a water bottle one of the other staff handed over, shrugging as it dangled near his waist. "I just needed to clear my head a little. Plus, it's been too long since I've been in here."

His trainer smiled. "At least two months. Your father was about to start coming after me to make sure you were keeping up with everything."

His smile was empty. "You can reassure him that I haven't let myself go."

The pair headed upstairs for the weights. He was more than happy to focus on the outer words from someone else and the simple directions. They did short-term work, but it wasn't enough. After five machines, a set of free weights, and a quick burst on the treadmill, he was starting to emotionally reroute himself to where he'd been.

A suggestion of basketball cardio had been the best he'd had for what felt like forever. The simple game of getting the ball into the hoop and get to ten points first was what he desperately needed. It forced him to think after the first time the ball was stolen right out of his hands and he was too sloppy on his defense to keep points from being scored. After that, a little competitive fire ignited and burned everything else away.

He wanted to play forever. He wanted to make the points up to fifty, a hundred, so that he didn't have to go back to his dorm. He felt much better losing himself to the choppy pace, the need to think fast, to be on his feet at a second's notice. In these moments, he had escaped himself and the problems that were only his. He left them outside the court, outside the gym, and didn't want to leave here. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that they were hovering outside the doors, waiting to descend on him once he pushed aside glass and steel to return to his other world.

It had been too long since he had been to the gym his father pretty much told him he was to regularly attend. He knew he'd be back much more frequently to not only escape his location and the memories, but to be in some place that was in no way connected to her.

He finally collapsed onto the wood floor, chest heaving and sweat dripping off him. "I...need to be...back next week..." He managed, flopping back to the ground.

"You definitely can...use some more cardio." His trainer panted. There was a pause as he looked to the watch on his wrist. "Course, we've been at it for thirty minutes or so."

That short of a time? It felt like it'd been hours and he mentally groused that he had so much more of the day to waste.

"Done for the day or do you want to do some laps?"

He agreed more because he didn't want to leave and not because he hadn't worked out enough. He followed the man to the towel station when "laps" were actually water laps, not running laps, and he mentioned he hadn't brought his swim trunks. His trainer handed him an extra pair, for special members such as him, and he went to go change.

The first dive moments later put his mind into an entirely different world in the best way possible. He heard the start time from his trainer, the stroke to use, and focused on getting his breathing perfect as he moved his arms. There was no room for anything else as he crossed the pool with powerful moves, trying to best his own time. He challenged himself any time his trainer gave the minutes it took to cross the expanse of water.

It felt good. He felt nothing, thought nothing, except the feel of cold water on his skin, the slap of water on his hands, the intake whenever his head came up from the waves he created. He didn't want to stop at just ten laps and wanted to go another ten. Fifty sounded better.

The time in the steam room was spent by himself and it wasn't welcomed. After passing the last two hours doing anything but be by himself, the quiet and fog were the last things he wanted. Everyone else was out on the machines, whereas he had gotten there early enough to avoid the line.

She invaded his mind a little, but the different surroundings were a huge help to give him an edge. He didn't hate himself as he looked around at the empty expanse of seats.

He couldn't continue on like this and he knew this. He didn't want to be entrenched in this more than he had been for as long as he had. He needed to get over this as soon as he could because he sincerely wanted to go to the party in a week. He wanted to take that time to hang out with those he called friend...whether things had become rocky with one of them or not.

Hands rubbed his face and pushed sweaty locks away from his eyes. If he jogged himself from himself like this for the next few days, he would be okay for the party. He felt so much better just being here instead of his dorm. He almost felt confident enough to get some homework done and only kicked himself for not bringing it so he could study in the small cafe the gym had.

Mentally seeing her face, thinking of her name, wasn't as painful while he was here. After tiptoeing through some thoughts concerning her and what he was going to do, how he could even go back in time with her, and finding that it wasn't upsetting him allowed him to think some more. He let the heat keep his attention off his emotions so he could dissect the situation as if he were Nino and Nino were him.

There was nothing else to do but get over her. He had no choice; it sounded like she wasn't going to leave the one she had known for years and apparently still felt something for. He wasn't going to do that to her for his own selfish needs anyway, whatever they even were. She seemed perfectly happy that morning he saw her and he felt bad enough for seeing her get upset that night.

Now that he could take a step back and be honest without irritating himself, he had no idea what he even wanted to accomplish with these emotions anyway. She was busy and he hadn't talked to her, nor her to him, since that afternoon. Weeks had passed, yet neither of them attempted contact for any reason. While he knew she was busy, he was also hesitant from what he had seen and never bothered to make the effort.

He didn't think he could be okay with it, knowing what her life was like, for the next two years until she graduated. He would still be in school and a doll for his father while she tried to get her business off the ground. He knew how hard that was and how many years it was going to take. He rarely saw his father unless it was for business; why did he think it would be any different with her?

That angle gave him the ability to take a mental step away from her. He didn't want to be standing on the sidelines for their time together, if that ever happened, while she was busy with her own life. The enormous feat she was undertaking left no time or space for anyone else. That person who was in her life now must be getting shuffled aside, as the rest of her friends were, as he had already been.

He stood and left the room, the drastic change in temperature feeling good as it numbed him. He headed for the showers and divided his focus on the spray and his situation.

This was good; he could handle this new feeling. This feeling of closure, of realizing that he could be making a big mistake if he stuck his hand out to her.

He wouldn't reach out; it would be pointless to do so. If he thought of everything she had shown him and all that he felt, his feelings would be ignored for her work and she had already told him she was too busy anyway. Their jobs being similar and being in the same school wouldn't matter. He would only be able to wave to her in the hallways as she went from class to class and then back to her dorm to work until insane hours at night.

Nothing could happen, he saw this now. The more he ran that through his brain and saw the mistakes in it all, the more okay he was with it. If he couldn't act on anything because it would end horribly from the start, he could take that step back and return to merely kidding around with her. He could forget this whole thing transpired and work on being her friend instead.

She was too amazing to let drift away to nothing and he liked talking to her. She was fun when he got her to open up and be herself. When she wasn't a blushing, stuttering mess, she was quite the fireball and had plenty of comebacks to his jokes. His lips twitched as he finally turned the shower off and grabbed a towel to throw over his head.

He couldn't let her go entirely, that was a fact. His emotions reared up and violently denied letting such a thing happen and he acquiesced to their greediness. Their lunch went through his mind and had him smiling as he headed to his locker for his clothes.

Perhaps he WOULD go to the party. He had only feared going because of his thoughts about her, but this was a good start. All he needed to do was lose himself in a place that had nothing to do with her and he could start moving on past his own stupidity. Disengaging himself from this new circle he was trying to be apart of would help him find himself again and rebuild what had been tampered with. He would rebuild himself to where he had been before the first year ever happened. He could do it, he would just have to keep an eye on himself and make sure he forcibly changed his mind any time it tried to drift in her direction unnecessarily.

When he stepped back into the cold of the approaching evening, he felt much better. Loads better. He felt like a different person than the mopey youth he had been when he yanked the doors open. He looked to the sky, feeling a twinge from the closing hole in his emotions, but realizing things had already started changing. This whole scenario was an inevitable and so long as he grasped that, he'd utilize it and get past her.

He had to.


	24. A very merry Noel

Eight friends didn't seem like a lot until it came to hand-crafting presents. Given that she felt guilty involving Alya so much with the same issue over the last year, she made sure to make her friend a fairly intricate purse for the trouble she had caused.

Nathaniel? He got new bag to carry his sketchpads in.

It was the detail on that bag that was the most annoying thing, but she knew he'd love it. Once it was done, mostly after she ordered him to stay away because she was going to be up so late making it, she breathed a sigh of relief.

There was no question on what to make anyone else. Rose was happy with anything pink, Juleka was still a fan of black, Melene loved the thought in the gift, Nino was simple, and Ivan didn't really care. No one had changed since Sorbonne when she started making them presents and even though they didn't hang out often enough, she still knew their tastes like they had just told her. Those were the easy gifts and she got them done in two days around the rest of her orders.

Adrien's...that was the tricky part.

She heard from Alya that Nino invited him, as rightly he should have, and wanted to make him something even if he couldn't make it. Since he lived so close, she could give it to him or ask a professor to drop it off after the holiday was done. Once she decided on making something for him, the biggest issue was the worst.

Just what could she make a designer's son?

He had everything and it was tailored for him! His father did a lot of what she did and easy things like a hat and glove set he probably had plenty of by now. More complicated things had her questioning her skills against the Gabriel brand name and wonder if she should even bother. Mentally designing all possibilities ended in frustrated head shakes to clear her mind.

She felt he didn't like it and she hadn't even cut out any material yet!

There were a handful of things she thought he may like, but those "thoughts" were mere hypotheses. Any time she was stuck pacing her room in hesitation on his present, she was forced to realize that she didn't even know him and hadn't spent a second of time with him since that day, which already felt like a lifetime ago. Such moments were given to Nathaniel, as they should have been, but she ignored Adrien for someone else.

Feeling like a heel went hand in hand at not knowing what to make him.

It took a lot of looking through the Gabriel web page, at every possible article of men's clothing, to figure out something he didn't own. She wanted it to be complicated, a good color on him, yet not take a week, which she didn't have. Noel was in a measly few days and his present was the last thing she had to do...along with a sleuth of others.

Somehow, it was much easier to contemplate her final decision with Nathaniel booted from the room. She had pointedly locked the door and told him she needed to finish her work for their presents and didn't want him near to snitch...but in reality, she planned on working till about three every night to get things done. She didn't want him up that late, but wasn't going to tell him her schedule because he'd find a way to take up residence to keep her from working herself out.

She sighed. Sleep was going to have to wait until Noel was done.

Knitting would be faster despite the pattern and the fact that any mistake would have to be taken apart and done over. She could have merely sewn fabric together with the idea she had, but when she made a stop at the fabric store for some, she ended up with skeins of yarn instead.

The color she found was perfect for any season and she would forever kick herself if she didn't get it!

Using the smallest needles possible to make the yarn from getting too loose was the biggest pain. It felt like it took forever, even with as fast as she worked! The shape was too easy for what she intended, but putting it together to look like she wanted was the thing. It was meant to be bulky so it could be wrapped around in a few different ways.

The second she finished making the tassels on the ends, she held it up and cringed.

He wasn't going to like this!

She wanted to undue everything immediately. The color was nice, but it was too feminine for someone like him! Every picture of him in his Gabriel-wear, that chiseled chin and occasional facial hair photo, went through her mind. She would make him a laughing stock if she made him wear this! He was such a nice person that she knew he'd go out with it at least once, but she'd embarrass him. She'd seen what he wore and it was much classier and professional than this. He probably had nothing to go with it anyway.

Her teeth clenched. She didn't have time to make anything else! The party was in a few hours and she still had to get ready! Nathaniel was going to come knocking on her door to escort her to her parent's home early so they could meet everyone at the front door. Her mother would thankfully already have the place decorated for her, so she didn't need to be there now at least.

Teeth nibbled her lip as she kept staring at her work. She didn't want to give him nothing, but going out and getting something this soon, as if any of the stores would still be open on Noel, was tacky. She had long ago given up such ideas with talents like hers.

This would have to do...

Her brow furrowed when a new problem presented itself. She stared at the whole thing, eyes expertly looking for a subtle place and landed on one of the corners.

She still had to attach her business name.

She hadn't told him about Lucky Charm since meeting him because she didn't want him to laugh at her pitiful excuse for a fashion industry. She feared what the son of a conglomerate, a label that she openly admired, would say if he stumbled upon her pathetic web site. It had been well-designed by so many people and she had been proud of it...until she met Adrien. Then she questioned everything she ever worked to achieve and felt like she had so much farther to go.

Maybe if she made the stitching just right, she could hide it for a while until her label was a little more known to a few hundred thousand more people.

She wanted to bang her head against the wall for being so stupid. That would take years! He'd find it way before then! But, she couldn't leave it unmarked after spending so much time on it. It was her handiwork and she was still proud of everything she made. It went against her sense of pride to not sign her "name" on her designs.

Mind made up, she quickly figured out something that would work and started finalizing it all. After she gave it a lasting look, she forcefully put it in the small bag she had for it and set it with the others near the door so she stopped thinking about it so much.

Nathaniel was going to be here too soon and she didn't want to have to worry about being naked when he showed up and everything that would entail!

She was slipping into a pair of low heeled boots when the there was a polite knock on the door. She threw it open and found him in a pair of jeans and turtleneck, all of which she had made. All which she had complimented him on again and again.

He looked too good with his hair swept to the side like that! The scarf around his neck was perfect, the coat he had a perfect fit. Of course it was; she had made them for him.

He smiled, eyes gleaming, though his heart fluttered. "You can pick your mouth up off the floor if you're done."

She jumped and scowled. "I was just...admiring my own handiwork. I hadn't seen it for a while was all."

He neared her, taking in the black jeans and loose knit coat she had on. Everything was well-chosen and fit her in all the right spots, as it should. Even as covered up as she was, ready to brave the short walk, she still looked beautiful to him.

His fingers came up and directed her face to his. "I wanted to wear something nice for you while we spent time with friends." He murmured, face inching toward hers.

She gave in to a kiss that could have been a lot more trouble, and cost them a lot more time, than she needed. As it was, she lost herself in it faster than she ever intended, as did he. They reacted to each other, as they always did. He seemed in no mood to worry about the company they needed to greet soon or her parents which were probably waiting on them.

She wanted to stomp her foot in frustration when she pulled away first.

"We need to get going..." She mumbled, feeling more annoyed at herself as she grabbed the hat and scarf set off a shelf.

"Is this everything you're bringing?" He asked, suddenly looking at what he shuffled against when he tried to get out of her way.

She looked down and smiled. "Hey...it's one bag per customer. Yours is in there too, but don't you dare peek past that tissue paper!"

He smirked. She knew him too well.

Gloved hands reached down and picked up the bulk of them, some of them heavier than he would have expected. "What did you make?" He asked, hefting them and hoping the paper would hold during the journey.

"You'll see when we get there." She side-stepped, finishing the scarf. She grabbed her phone and the rest of the bags before heading out.

The walk was short and thankfully there wasn't too much snow to make her fall because she wouldn't be able to catch herself and he definitely wasn't going to. She headed through the side door for the back stairs and shook the cold off her. The pair headed up and she knocked on the door, feeling nostalgic about the last time she'd been here.

Which, she mused, was also with Nathaniel at her side.

"Marinette dear, it's been too long. Happy Noel to you Nathaniel."

She accepted her mother's hug and stepped aside as Sabine went for him, too. She hugged her father next in line and then the group shuffled inside to shut the door.

The place hadn't changed in years. Things still looked the same as they had when she left for Sorbonne, but she was happy. It already felt like years past and she was glad to be able to do something she only got to do once a year with her friends: see and laugh with them for hours.

The bags went in an out-of-the-way spot in the living room while she helped her mother with any final preparations. As it was, her parents did a good job putting up a few streamers and some balloons to make the place look a little festive. Easy clean-up for later, but fun to look at in the meantime.

The smells were hard to ignore and when she finally focused on them, she quickly went to the table lined with baked goods and simple snack dishes. There were a few bottles of wine on the counter near the sink, glasses sitting ready for use.

"Thanks so much for doing all this, mama." She managed, feeling tears come to her eyes. She hugged her mother again, unable to express more gratitude than that.

The four of them chatted and answered her parent's questions as to their school lives until the doorbell rang. She hopped up to get it and pulled the door open to reveal Rose and Juleka. She greeted them warmly and let the first group go past as she shut the door. She watched the new entries exchange pleasantries with everyone and put their coats in her old room.

She joined the chatter until there was a knock for the second group. She hopped up again, not letting her parents or Nathaniel do any work, and pulled the door open to greet Ivan and Mylene. She took their presents and bypassed Mylene's insistence that they bring something small for everyone. She added the presents to her stack and put their coats away as well.

The last group took a little while and she was about ready to get her phone out and text to make sure they were okay when there was a knock on the door. With a grin, she got off the couch a third time and pulled the door open.

Three people were there instead of the expected couple.

He was huddled in the back, too nervous to be up front of everyone. He wasn't going to be so presumptuous on his first visit.

She shook off the surprise at the new addition to the party, but still glad he was here. She greeted the last of her friends warmly and let them all inside. She took their coats, insisting on taking Adrien's when he said he could carry it himself. She headed off and returned only long enough to take a fairly heavy bag he handed her when she saw he came with something.

"You didn't have to." She politely replied, brow raising at the weight.

He smiled. "It's my first time here. I got something simple that I figured everyone might enjoy."

"He raided his dad's champagne stash." Nino cracked, cringing at Alya's elbow in his side.

Adrien gave a dry look. "I have enough of my own to get into his." He joked, grinning.

She immediately dug a hand in and grabbed the neck of the bottle, the well-known Dom Perignon label greeting her. Her eyes widened as she grabbed the second, giving him a shocked look. "Please tell me you're joking!"

He chuckled. "I wish I could. I've been holding on to those since Milan."

She scowled. "You DID tell him this was an informal party, right?"

Alya shrugged and went for the bag. "Nino told him twice and he still showed up with awesome champagne. I say we break it open and toast to the holiday before your parents head downstairs."

She nodded and her father got up to take one of the bottles. She watched Adrien introduce himself to their parents, who mentioned being acquainted with his name from her fashion work. She quickly stepped in before they said anything else that got her in trouble, or said anything else about Lucky Charm, and directed everyone to the kitchen.

She situated everyone together and made sure the newcomer was near her to direct him as a proper hostess. When she looked over at the loud pop from the champagne, she found both parents filling glasses with slightly wide eyes.

"There's not much that we do." She explained, looking around as her mother put plates near the spread. "We just hang out, maybe exchange presents at some time in the evening, eat, and catch up."

"Let's not forget the drinking." Nino supplied, accepting his champagne with a smile. "There's plenty of that and everyone here usually tries to outdo each other after a few glasses." Nino brought the glass to his nose and hummed at the smell. "Nothing like outdoing everyone on your first year, Agreste."

He bashfully smiled and took the glass with a "thanks".

"Would you shut up already?" Alya butt in, scowling around her own crystal. She looked across the table at him. "If he gets any worse than this, you have my permission to kick him in the shins. Which may just happen if you let him have any more of that."

"It's not a big deal, Alya." Mylene interjected, smiling his way.

Seeing Mylene was about ready to introduce herself, she stepped in and went around the table for his sake. She gave a brief story as to where she'd met each Sorbonne friend to acquaint him a little. She pointedly ignored Adrien's informing her of the last year through her window during his introduction to the others and let Nino do the rest of Adrien's introduction since the two met first.

"You're a model, huh?" Juleka evenly replied. "That's cool."

Even if the reaction was totally not what he expected, he kind of liked how she didn't seem very impressed or care very much. He watched Juleka sip the champagne and murmur how good it was, though her expression didn't show it. He wondered if she was normally that way and figured he'd get to see before the night was up.

"You're supposed to wait until everyone clinks their glasses together!" Rose insisted, hand whipping out to keep the glass from returning to her girlfriend's lips. "Don't be rude and drink it by yourself in front of everyone."

"Does anyone else need anything before we head downstairs for the night?" Sabine politely broke in.

She looked over at her gracious parents and smiled. "I believe we have more than enough, thanks to your help, mama...papa. Thank you for the preparations and letting us use the floor."

"Just don't be too loud." Her father playfully chided. The pair waved their good nights and closed the door behind them, leaving the group of youths to their own devices.

"So? Let's all toast so we can have this already." Ivan broke in, twirling the liquid in his glass.

"What do we toast to?" Rose asked. She gasped, eyes practically shining. "How about to new friendships and a beautiful new year?"

Suggestions got thrown out, friendship in general and a prosperous new year the selected ones. Everyone clinked their glasses together lightly, then proceeded to comment on the flavor of the champagne and how glad they were that there was a second bottle.

For the most part, he sat back and listened to everyone go over what they'd been doing since the last time any of them got together en masse. Since he had nothing to give, aside from feeling like a total pompous ass at his job description, he stayed silent and sipped his champagne. It was better than he thought and he pondered opening a bottle more often whenever he was at home, maybe even having some in his room, but realized it tasted so good was because others were with him. He was suddenly happy he saved up what he had for so long. Now was the perfect time to drink it.

Everyone went for food at their own pace and he was directed to do the same. He was slightly happy for the inability to talk so he could observe all these new faces he would hopefully get to see again in the near future. That's what he initially thought until he took the first bite of a plain croissant...then proceeded to inhale three more after that. Eating then took precedence for the mere pleasure of the food than the lack of conversing.

"I think Adrien likes your parent's cooking." Alya mused, watching him from her spot at the table.

"Not going to lie," He mumbled around a bite, "this is the best croissant I've ever had and I've been around France."

"Well...they did probably come from downstairs." Juleka added, idly holding hers up. "I bet they were from what they didn't sell at the end of the day." She ignored Rose's look. "Still amazing though, Marinette."

His brow rose. He bypassed a bakery on his way over with Nino and Alya, who didn't say too much about it as they rounded it for the side door. He suddenly looked her way with a widening grin.

" _They_ _own_ _a_ _bakery._ _But_ _the_ _name_ _is_ _top_ _secret._ _I_ _won't_ _have_ _a_ _famous_ _model_ _waltz_ _in_ _and_ _start_ _something_ _in_ _the_ _tabloids._ _Even_ _if_ _they_ _may_ _appreciate_ _the_ _publicity."_

"The bakery downstairs, huh?" He asked, pointedly staring at her. He met blue eyes, propping his head up on the table and looking like he was suddenly given a toy he wasn't supposed to. "I'll have to check it out when it's open during regular business hours."

She scowled and pointed to him. "Don't you dare!" She retorted, face warming at the confused eyes of her friends. "My parents don't need that kind of future headache from you, Monsieur model."

"I'm sure they'd actually love it, Marinette." Mylene gently broke in.

"Yea, a famous model visiting their shop would get a lot more customers." Alya added.

She grit her teeth, glowering at his smug look. "Mama and papa are busy enough as it is." She mumbled, purposely sticking the rest of her own croissant in her mouth at lack of proper retort.

He felt too pleased with himself for riling her up. Since none of her friends seemed to care too much, he noted to do so more often before the night was over. Just enough to see her liven up, but not enough to get him kicked out.

He had planned on teasing her for his own benefit and avidly looked for any chance he could get...at least until he saw what his present was.

He held the wrap in his hands, staring at the complicated pattern and gorgeous color selection. It easily went with both his hair and his eyes, and he knew in a second from years of experience that he could wear it with most everything in pretty much all seasons.

And she had made it herself.

"Please don't try it on until you get home!" She rushed, feeling panicked when he didn't say a word after pulling it from the bag. Everyone else's gushing went ignored as she felt the adrenaline hit. It was never a fun experience when she was faced with someone who was new to her fashion style, and it was nerve-wracking to go through. Everyone else in the room had been getting presents from her for years; he was the only one new to her creations.

He stared at the light, soft cloth in his hands. His fingers lightly rubbed against it, knowing that it wouldn't scratch his neck. The tassels weren't overdone or too long. He looked from it to her, mouth opening for words, but lost them when they met eyes. "I..." He looked back down. "I love it. Absolutely. It's great. I don't have anything like it at home."

"That's what I was going for." She rushed, hands rubbing together in her anxiety. She ignored Alya's and Nathaniel's presences next to her on the couch. "I kind of checked out Gabriel's website for what I figured you didn't have and tried to make something unique."

Nathaniel's hand patted her knee at the obvious ramble. "He says he loves it, Marinette. It's okay."

"Oh let her stew, Nathaniel. You know you won't get her out of it yet." Alya rebutted, smiling at her friend. "She always does this with newcomers."

He took in their words, suddenly realizing why she was so uneasy and going on about nothing like she was. She had made him something from scratch and wanted to make sure it was an item he didn't own, even though he was the son of a designer. That feat alone was hard because of the years of collections he had in his closet at home.

He suddenly stood and took off the light, outer jacket he had on and dumped it on the couch. Needing all of a second, he figured out her pattern and threw the shawl-scarf around his shoulders and neck, expertly settling it as he envisioned her work to be.

She worried it would have been too feminine, that it wouldn't be his style. She forgot one huge fact: he was a model and his face was what made the clothes, not the other way around.

"You look great, Adrien!" Rose gushed, getting up to lightly touch the tassels. "It's such a great color on you."

"I second that." Mylene joined her friend, watching him twirl.

She watched it all, having never seen her work so well displayed as it was in this second. All of the pictures she posted on her website with her designs on her mannequin, on herself, or the few aspiring models she had been able to afford, were child's play compared to him. He was a professional and he was the real thing. Never had her design looked so good as it did on the frame of a big-time model.

She found herself standing before she could think of what she was doing. "Here...it's a little off..." She mumbled, hands floating up to adjust it. "Turtlenecks definitely are the best thing with this..." She remarked, partially to herself. She walked around him, hands adjusting it and touching him without asking, having forgotten everything she worried about in a second.

When she was done fussing, he twirled again and smiled at her. "How do I look?"

"Pretty good, Agreste." Nino tipped his hat and looked Alya's way. "Think I should have her make me one?"

Alya grinned his way. "Only if you lose this and style your hair a bit more." She cracked, fingers flicking the brim of his cap up.

Blue eyes looked to the shawl before coming from herself and flushing at feeling his eyes. She looked to him, feeling uneasy about his opinion. "D – do you...really like it?" She quietly asked, rubbing her fingers together self-consciously.

His look was soft, his smile gentle. A hand rested on her shoulder and gave a small pat. "This is absolutely gorgeous." His free hand came up and pressed as lightly as he could as to not ruffle the folds. "I've never seen such talent like yours. And I thought I had seen so much from you already."

He hadn't meant to say it. It slipped out. From the panicked look on her face, she hadn't told anyone of what he had done over the last year. He didn't intend on informing the entire party of what transpired between them. When he caught Nino's subtle hand movement, telling him not to continue, he quickly cleared his throat and tried to make that vague comment even more so. "I mean...I can't believe these presents you made. They're incredible."

She gave a shaky laughter, trying to force embarrassment over fear. She tried to play off his words and keep everyone in the dark, though she noted how Nino cleared his throat a little too quickly at Adrien's words and wondered how much her friend already knew aside from Alya. Did Alya say something? Did Adrien go to him?

The group went back to their usual banter and small talk. The incident never built to anything and it seemed to be swept into the background with a mental sigh of relief from most.

Except, green eyes took in the look Marinette gave Adrien and had him as concerned as he was curious about the reaction.

He watched her for the next thirty minutes and how she stumbled over her words until that sentence was forgotten for poking fun and jokes. He paid close attention to her fidgeting and how she pointedly didn't look at Adrien or sit anywhere near him for the next hour. She suddenly seemed uncomfortable around him and addressed him with something of a nervous air that hadn't happened until just now.

She had always been easy to read, but having known her for years made it easy to do so. He felt he knew everything about her, but this was hidden from him. Something which got her all riled up in front of everyone. It must be pretty big and even if she had a tendency to react, Nino also joined in the game.

" _I_ _thought_ _I_ _had_ _seen_ _so_ _much_ _from_ _you_ _already."_

Those words were enough of a catalyst to set his mind into overdrive. Suspicion set in and wouldn't go away, but there was nothing he could do about it. He wasn't going to spoil the party she was looking forward to and spent so many hours making presents for. But, he wasn't going to forget the incident that already started the list of questions forming.

All he needed was a free moment to talk to her afterward.

 _Adrien's_ _present_ _inspiration:_ _pinterest com/pin/526710118903326318/_

 _Marinette's_ _outfit_ _inspiration:_ _pinterest com/pin/264093965622810775/_


	25. What's this all about

It wasn't until the New Year when they had time to meet up. His mind was eating away at his sanity, unresolved questions lining up and demanding answers. He couldn't placate his head and more than once, he found himself pacing his room late at night when he couldn't sleep.

Noel was done and her orders dropped significantly. Her time had opened up, but the first time she agreed to meet up with him in her room found her deeply asleep in bed. He knew she needed it and forced patience so she could recuperate, knowing full well how many late hours she put in making things for everyone.

A week of waiting was killing him, but there was little he could do. He told himself she was so tired and needed rest. She needed to catch up, because he was going to demand answers from her soon.

He knocked on her dorm, face grim. He didn't want this, didn't want to feel like this. He wished he hadn't been paying attention in those seconds. Something ugly was taking root in the back of his head and while he didn't want to know what it was, he couldn't help the need to find out at the same time.

"Come on in." She muttered, rubbing her eyes as she stepped to the side.

He eyed her and the sleepwear she had on, feeling bad for having woken her. "It's almost two in the afternoon." He murmured, walking inside. The door shut behind him, the lock going back into place. "How long have you been asleep?"

She yawned and followed him to her room. The bed was unmade, the covers having been thrown to the side as she got up when he knocked. "I think...ten last night?" A hand scratched unruly hair, idly straightening it. "Maybe it was before that?"

He abruptly walked up to her and plopped his hands on her shoulders. "You shouldn't do that stuff to yourself." He harshly admonished, frowning. "I don't like to see you beat yourself up like that!"

She patted his arm, looking sullen. "It's the nature of the beast." She muttered, stepping away for her bathroom. "What did you need to talk to me about?" She left the door open as she headed in, the sound of water coming seconds later.

He was suddenly thrown back into the torment which plagued him for so many countless hours. He made great art from it, but it didn't help satisfy what had been bugging him since Noel. He listened to the water run into a glass, idly looking at all the things around her room.

He stopped at the curtains which had multiple pins in them, effectively keeping them closed.

" _I_ _thought_ _I_ _had_ _seen_ _so_ _much_ _from_ _you_ _already."_

He saw them once, but never bothered mentioning it. He figured she finally wised up and considered what she may look like at night. He had wondered if people were able to see her with the buildings as close as they were, but mentioning it in the past got a shrug and comment that she needed the light during the day and just forgot to close them at night.

" _I_ _thought_ _I_ _had_ _seen_ _so_ _much_ _from_ _you_ _already."_

After a year of being at ISC, she finally closed them. So many days and nights he had been here and the flimsy white fabric had been wide open to all. Any time he told her she should do something about them, she dismissed his words. Whenever he did the deed himself, she would get mad and jerk them apart and order him to leave them so she could use the light to work with.

They had been open until really recently, when he came over and she was highly distressed more than anything he had ever seen. When she had been crying her eyes out for however many unknown hours.

His mind whirled, finding a set of puzzle pieces before him and creating a picture he didn't want to put together...which his mind put together for him. His eyes narrowed, his blood boiling.

Marinette was in ISC.

Adrien was in ISC.

Marinette's curtains had been open for anyone to see her for an entire year.

Her curtains were closed shortly after the breakdown he witnessed.

She recently met Adrien Agreste as well.

His fists clenched, wanting to connect with something. Being a man, it was simple to take such a scenario and fit the pieces together. He knew how easy it was to obsess over a person such as Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Physical beauty and stature aside, she was amazingly talented and driven. She was outspoken when she wanted to be and didn't hesitate to say what was on her mind most times. She was kind and polite to others and she gave of herself in the most interesting of ways. She agonized over her faults and tried to be there for him even though she knew she couldn't.

Quiet footsteps barely came to his ears as he saw her stand next to him out of the corner of his eye. She reiterated her previous question and gave a look that said he should be speaking right now. Red clouded his vision, assumptions overcoming his common sense.

He whipped to her with chipped emeralds, grabbing one of her wrists and squeezing harshly. He ignored her cry of pain and order to release her. He yanked her to him, steadying her as she stumbled against him and pinned her with a look that was hurt, accusatory, and demanding all at once.

"Why are the curtains closed?" He icily asked.

Her eyes widened and she took a small step back at his demeanor. It frightened her just a little and she tried to get her hand back, but he wouldn't let go. "You're hurting me!" She insisted, hoping to appeal to his emotions. "Let go of me. They're closed because I want them closed."

His eyes narrowed further. "Is it because someone has been watching you?"

She stilled, blood running cold. She pointedly kept her hand on her wrist, feeling a chill crawl up her spin. Her mouth opened to say anything, but froze. She pushed a syllable out, but didn't get any further.

"Is it because ADRIEN has been watching you?" He pursued, a finger pointing to the building directly across from hers. To the room on the other side of the way. To the person probably in that room at this second.

Her eyes shot up to his, wide in shock and giving herself away. She shook her head a degree, trying to keep this from happening, to let this seep to others. Alya she trusted this with so much and Nino having found out wasn't a big deal because he didn't go telling everyone.

Nathaniel was the last person she ever wanted finding out about the whole ordeal.

"Don't lie to me!" He retorted, shaking her wrist. His free hand grasped her chin and jerked her vision to his, not letting her escape. "Who lives directly across from you over there?! Who?"

She shivered. She had rarely seen Nathaniel as angry as he currently was because she often saw him get emotional in a weepy sort of way instead. The only few times he was ever this mad was when she got hit on in the study areas at Sorbonne before they officially went out.

It hadn't happened for a long time. In the beginning, before they established themselves, it looked like it was open season on her. When Nathaniel was pursuing her, she was hesitant to accept his advances. He had been a friend and that's all she saw in him. It was only when he heatedly insisted that she was his in a public place, to someone who asked her out, that she started to see him differently.

"Ad...rien... A...greste..." She whispered, feeling a sense of foreboding creep through her.

He stared at her for what seemed forever. His face was even, body unmoving. They froze like that, her wide eyes trying to read his face, and his frown taking up permanent residence.

He finally threw her wrist to the side and took a step back, eyes randomly darting around the floor. The facts finished putting themselves into place and he was livid. He didn't know what he wanted to do in this second, but physical violence to someone was a likely possibility. Verbal threats were already formed in his head and ready to be used. He tried to gulp air in, finding it hard.

She saw so much in his stance and rushed to him, grabbing his sweater before he could go anywhere. "Don't!" She insisted, eyes tearing. "Don't do anything! Please! Just let it alone! It's done and over with! He apologized already! He isn't going to do it anymore!"

"Anymore..." He mumbled, eyes darkening.

She gulped and cursed her poor choice of words.

He looked down at her, grabbing her wrist without expression. "So...this has happened more than once has it?"

She couldn't help the wince, giving away everything.

He lowered his face a little to hers, eyes becoming colder as the seconds passed. "Ever since you came here, those curtains have been opened. Even when I closed them, you opened them back up with protests. Now, in the last few weeks alone, they've been pinned closed so that they can't be opened."

Her hands cupped his face, not wanting anything that was about to transpire to transpire. "It's done! Please don't do anything about it!" She pleaded, feeling a tear fall. Panic and paranoia made it hard to feel her fingers. "Please just let it go! There's nothing you can do about it anyway!"

"The man has been watching you!" He nearly yelled, squeezing her wrist. He let up a little at the look of pain on her face. "How long?! How many months? Would you like me to hazard a guess? Perhaps since you started here?" He stepped back, and looked down. "I could kill him."

Her eyes widened and she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his torso as tightly as she could to keep him from getting out of her room. "No! Please don't do anything, Nathaniel!" Tears wet his sweater as she shook. She feared what would happen to either of them if he left this room. "Don't go anywhere! Don't do anything about it! Just let it go! I have! He's apologized already! It's over!"

"It apparently isn't with how you acted at the party." He hotly denied, forcing her view up to his. "You were affected by it and you still are with how much you're freaking out. I saw how nervous you were that night. Don't deny it! He did something atrocious to you and has for a year!"

She hugged him, burying her face in his chest. He thankfully didn't move as she did so and her arms trembled at the depth of the emotions confronting her, her breathing choppy.

Nothing she could say was going to make this better. Surely, what Adrien had done was probably worth calling the police, but the only evidence was his word. Any form of denial for his own safety would probably happen and then they would have a couple of annoyed police officers who were going to be looking their way.

She never pondered the reasons as to why Adrien had watched her that long, too busy with so many other things. The situation had, thankfully, slipped her mind. Noel was too important to let the last year stay in the forefront.

She wasn't stupid though and she could hypothesize a few things. Without talking to him for answers, they would remain just that. She didn't want to consider such things ever happening though because she had nothing to give him. She could barely give him friendship with the way her schedule was, let alone choose him over Nathaniel.

Her vision was suddenly moved up again, meeting demanding, utterly hurt green eyes. "Do you like him?"

She blinked, almost unable to comprehend his words. Her mouth dropped open at the insinuation.

His grip tightened at her silence. "Do you like him, I asked...answer me!"

His tone took a desperate tinge to it and it made tears come to her eyes. This possibility was hurting him, even though it would never come to pass. That alone stabbed her through the chest.

Her head shook, tears falling. "No..." She whispered, his grip slackening at the answer. She stepped back to see him better, hands fisting the front of his sweater. "No. No. No, I don't like him!" She squeezed fabric, feeling hurt rise. "How could I? I don't even know him! What happened was embarrassing, but an unmanageable. We were both to blame! It's over!"

"A man doesn't watch a woman from his window for an entire year and claim that things are done and over with." He darkly retorted. His hands suddenly grasped her arms, shaking her a little. "Stay away from him! Don't go near him, Marinette!" His voice cracked, jaw tight.

Her heart went out to him. What happened must look horrible to him. She had been living her own life and some guy was watching her during it. Now, he had introduced himself to her and spent Noel with her. He was in her circle of friends and was making jokes with her. He had become fairly close in a short amount of time, much closer as opposed to the last year. Both of their excuses were pretty lame and he still pursued her even after she ran away from him after he confessed everything.

Her eyes lowered as she thought of it from outside everything. She didn't want to avoid Adrien because she thought they could actually be friends. She didn't have enough of them these days, let alone any in ISC or in her style of work. Her Sorbonne friends were in arts or language or music; nothing even remotely affiliated to her. Knowing Adrien could relate to her on her level was kind of nice.

She suddenly hugged him tightly, face brushing against his chest. She was silent as she tried to sort everything out. She didn't want to lose Nathaniel for a friend, but she wasn't going to be happy at ignoring Adrien all over again. Everything aside, being a model aside, he was a nice individual.

His arms slowly pushed her away. Her silence was like a spear through him and all he felt was hollow. "I see..." He mumbled, taking a step from her arms.

She jumped, hands going out. "N – Nathaniel?"

He turned his back to her, eyes on the door. He felt like he was bleeding out every emotion that he didn't want to experience. The fact that she hadn't said anything about keeping her distance from a man who was watching her the entire time she had been at school told him she was able to look past such a transgression and let Adrien be by her side in some manner.

The recent evenings he had been in her room seemed cheapened and he wanted to spit on them. The nights he had stayed over during that last year, accepting of any advances she made...curtains wide open...struck him and made him feel filthy.

"You won't stay away from him then?"

She swallowed, throat closing up. "I -" She took a step for his back. "I..."

He felt her hands brush the back of his coat, but he stepped away. It hurt too much to look at her right now and if he did, he would crack and she wouldn't be able to pick him back up. His fists clenched as he marched the few steps for her door.

She jumped and hurried after him. "Wait! Nathaniel!" Her hands lashed out and wrapped around his arm. "Don't go! Not right now! Please!"

He paused, hand on the knob, head bowed. He tried to remember to breathe, knowing they both needed to calm down. His leaving like this wasn't going to do a bit of good. Leaving her like this would shatter what little they had created over the last few weeks. If he left like this, he may just march right over to Adrien's room and punch him right in the face.

He slowly looked over his shoulder, seeing tears staining her face. She looked upset and confused and sorry. His mouth opened, poised to say anything, but didn't have words available to give her. The tears in his eyes fell.

He looked like she had slapped him in the face. She felt something in her crumble into a million pieces. Her arms clenched tighter as she inched closer. "Please..." She breathed, eyes pleading. "Don't go...like this...not like this...please. Please Nathaniel."

He turned and faced her, his arm remained taken by her. His free hand floated up and gently kept her vision to his. "Tell me...you won't see him...anymore...and I'll stay." He managed.

Her eyes widened a little. The words were so easy. A simple "yes" or "okay" was all she needed to say. Her mouth opened to give him what he needed, to soothe whatever strange occurrence had sprouted from nothing.

But she didn't say it.

His eyes searched hers. He knew her as good, no...better than her own parents did. Her silence was the answer he got, but didn't want.

His hand slowly released itself from her chin, his back straightening. He let the tears on his face continue to fall, feeling something beautiful that he felt for her die in a dark place.

Without a word, he wrenched his arm from hers and exited her room, slamming the door shut.


	26. Picking up the pieces

She didn't think she'd ever be spending New Years with anyone but Nino and her family. That's what she had been planning since she had the day off. It would have been better had they been able to all sit around home, especially Nino, and watch tv together for hours on end. He never took time off, nor got time off actually, and such an occurrence was really rare for him.

She didn't think they'd be traipsing across Paris in the biggest hurry she had ever experienced since being late to class that one day.

It was a fluke that she had her phone with her. She intended on leaving it in her room so she could focus on how great it was to cuddle with Nino and ignore her twin's snarky comments at how "cute they looked together". An odd thought to checking her email during commercials was the only reason she kept it with her. She wanted to make sure that test turned out okay and their professor was supposed to have posted it by now.

Panic and upset was not what she was ever expecting.

" _It's...over!_ _I_ _lost_ _him!_ _It's...all_ _over!_ _Why...didn't_ _I...just_ _say_ _it?!_ _Why_ _Alya...why?!"_

The rambling continued for five minutes before she demanded enough clarity for a location and that her friend wouldn't do anything until they reached her dorm. After that, it was a minute to get her shoes and coat on, Nino hurrying with her, and then they hopped the stairs for the cold outside.

The ride had to be the most tense ever, even though it wasn't that long. A few bus stops and a fast run found them panting at the main door to her dorm building. They hurried up the stairs, not stopping until they reached her door.

She heard the sobbing first. "Marinette!" Her hand went for the knob, yanking the door open. "Are you -"

The pair looked down, finding the scattered individual in question crumpled on the floor in a crying ball at the front door. She was still in pajamas and didn't seem to have noticed they were even there.

She gave Nino a quick look before kneeling down and shuffling around her friend. "Marinette...we're here. Nino and I are here." She coached, feeling a sense of urgency when there was no response.

"Mar...come on Mar...let's get you to bed." He gently added, arms slowly inching their way to help pick her up.

Marinette only jolted at their touch, tear-stained face jerking up. She looked at the pair with agonizing eyes before launching herself at Alya. "He's gone!" She sobbed, gripping tightly. "He left! He's gone! It's over! I messed up forever! He's never coming back!"

She gave Nino a helpless look, who only shrugged and shook his head...as clueless as she was, even if they could hazard a few guesses. She looked to the back of Marinette's head and rubbed her back. "Who left? It's not all over forever, Marinette. Tell us what's going on."

Broken rambling was all she got for the next five minutes. It was the same words she had heard on the phone, the same words they got since their entrance.

"Mar...what happened?" Nino quietly insisted, trying again. "Who's gone? Is it Adrien?" Pause. "Is it Nathaniel?"

The second name got the desired reaction and the biggest clue. Marinette crumpled against her, turning to hysterics. The mumbling repeated itself, but was mostly intelligible for the broken cries and hiccups. All the pair could do was pat her back and sit on the cold floor with her until she exhausted herself.

"It's...over...all over... I...messed everything up..." Marinette finally mumbled, slumping against her.

She looked over and nodded. "Help me get her to bed, Nino." He needed no other prompting and got the slip of a girl off her. They mostly carried her to her bed and got her situated in it.

"No more...gone...he's gone..."

A hand went to her forehead as she helplessly stared at the mumbling mess that was their friend. "This is all screwed up." She managed, head shaking.

He took off his glasses and rubbed the tears from his eyes, affected from his friend's distress. He slipped them back on seconds later and looked around, though nothing seemed out of its usual mess. He was silent for a bit, mind whirling at everything that seemed to befall their group lately, Marinette especially.

All he knew was that Nathaniel was gone and had left Marinette an emotional mess. Pushing the urge to throttle his friend aside, he looked around for pieces and came upon the curtains. Especially the pins that were vertically lined up to keep them from being opened ever again.

Heaving a sigh, a hand scrubbed his face. It seemed they just stumbled upon the biggest debacle concerning their friend and it had gotten so much more complicated than anyone ever wanted it to be. "Figure this out for me babe, my head hurts..."

"Believe me, I'm already working on it." Alya's clipped voice had him looking up to find her walking to the curtains. "Why are these like this?"

He cringed, but walked over and unpinned them. He opened the curtains and looked out to where he knew Adrien's room was. "Don't tell me Mar has been silent about this whole thing to you."

"I knew that Adrien had been watching her, which is just weird, but I didn't want to get into it too much. She throws enough at my plate as it is." Sad, dark eyes turned to their mostly unconscious friend in her bed.

He took off the hat and ran his hand through his hair in agitation. "It's...a lot more complex than you probably heard..." He mumbled, feeling insistent eyes.

Her eyes narrowed at his tone. "What do you know? Tell me everything."

"So long as you don't go killing anyone after this is all aired out and figured out." Only when he got her word that murderous rampages would kept on hiatus until further notice did he begin.

He started with the initial call concerning Marinette's previous breakdown. The text he sent her way claiming she was sick and needing checking up on. He revealed the real reason, only explaining the white lie for his friend's sake.

His eyes strayed across the window outside. "I didn't know if you'd been told, but given that it's Mar, I figured on it." Hands took glasses off his face, eyes weary. He went into detail on the meeting at his apartment, adding much more details than the other incident could give.

"I told him to give up." He finalized, slipping the glasses back on and leaning against the desk. His arms crossed as he grimly looked to the bed. "Mar doesn't have any room in her life for him, whether he likes it or not. Whether because of her business, school, or Nathaniel. She rarely sees us, how could she go out with Adrien, let alone be his friend?" He sighed, falling into silence with her for a while. Hands rubbed the stubble on his chin. "All I can think is he gave himself away with that phrase at Noel and Nathaniel was sitting right there and heard it."

Her brow went up.

"'I thought I had seen so much from you already'." His head shook. "I knew the second those words left Adrien's mouth, he was in trouble. Especially from Mar's reaction. She's an open book and Nathaniel has known her for years. He's a smart guy; he probably figured it out from that and the curtains. Nothing was ever hidden by anyone; we just didn't talk about it. All he had to do was look for the pieces."

Hands floated up and took the glasses off her face, wanting to throw them across the room. Her free hand came up and rubbed her eyes instead, hand gripping the sides of her temples. "This is making my head hurt..."

"I second that." He mumbled, rubbing a temple.

She heaved a sigh, breathing a few curses in the process. "I thought we finally got those two to settle down and her to enjoy his company like she ought to." She mumbled. "If Nathaniel left Marinette like this, he was pretty irrational, too. We both know how much he's sacrificed up till now. I've heard enough of her crying at how horribly she's treated him already. This was probably the one thing he won't tolerate."

"I've seen it at Sorbonne. Never thought nice, quiet Nathaniel would ever try to rip someone's throat out over a girl."

"Who just happens to be amazing." She pointed out, arms crossing.

"Especially over Marinette." He acquiesced.

She looked through the window to what must be Adrien's room. The light was on, but he wasn't in view. She wondered what to do if he saw them in Marinette's room. She remembered the conversation where Marinette mentioned she fully intended on closing the curtains. She hadn't been here for a long time, but assumed they had been closed given the sheer number of pins in them.

" _You're complaining that a hot, young French man has been observing you and whatever you've been working on across the way for a long time and might just possibly be interested in you as a person?"_

" _You don't have to make it sound like that..."_

She cringed at the words she never considered to be true. Nathaniel was totally stuck to Marinette and wasn't going to let her go without a fight. She knew that Marinette still had feelings for him to feel so bad about her distance toward him over the last year. Any feelings Adrien had were only going to complicate things for the two.

Course, had she closed the damn curtains in the beginning, none of this would have happened.

Adrien wasn't just interested in Marinette as a person. She knew full well that such an extended "activity" meant something much deeper than the lights shining into his room, and they were both idiots if they didn't recognize and acknowledge it.

The whole thing had blown up over proportion because Adrien never approached Marinette until now and Nathaniel, who had sacrificed so much for her over the last year, finally found out. She had no idea how Adrien and Marinette discussed what happened, and it wasn't helping her figure this.

Her eyes strayed to the bed. If Nathaniel had left like he did, he must have figured it out and broached the subject with Marinette. The only clue left was what happened to make him storm out of her dorm like he had and leave their friend in a crying puddle on the floor.

"This is all fucked up..." She mumbled, face in her hand.

"And it's about to get more-so." He replied, cringing and slowly waving across the way. Without thinking to the energy bills his friend had to pay, he threw the window open and watched Adrien do the same.

"What are you two doing over there?"

"Uh...it's too much to get into right now..." He loudly hedged.

"I'll come over."

His eyes widened. "Wait -" The rest of his sentence was ignored for the slam of the window and Adrien hurrying away from the glass. He sighed and shut everything back up. "This isn't going to get any better." He groused.

She was already heading for the door. "There's a meeting room kind of thing on the main floor. We'll try to head him off there."

They practically scurried from the room, but didn't make it all the way before they met him on the stairs up.

"What's the matter with you two?" Adrien asked, searching their faces. "What's going on? Is something wrong with Marinette?"

She forced a fake smile, trying not to wince too much. "She's...asleep right now Adrien. Best not to wake her."

"Yea, she's real tired from all that work on those presents she made us." He quickly added, taking a step forward. He forced a smile and patted his friend's shoulder. "Not to mention how busy she was with her usual fashion stuff. Better let her rest."

"If she needed sleep, why are you two both here then?" Green eyes narrowed. "You're hiding something from me. Is she sick?"

"No!" She cursed the loudness of her tone, pretty much giving away that something was indeed wrong. She took a step forward, lightly gripping Adrien's arm. "No, she's not sick. It has just been a long month or two for her. Please don't disturb her, Adrien. I think I'll just go tuck her in better and then come back downstairs. We'll all head out and what say we go get some coffee somewhere nearby."

"There's a place only a few blocks from here." He added, nodding. "I don't work for a few hours; I say we all go catch up on the last week and hang out."

They were acting too fishy for their own good, Alya especially. Nino he might not suspect, but Alya was not this twitchy. There was something big going on and he wasn't going to leave until it was sorted out.

He looked to Alya on one side, Nino on the other. They were off to the side just enough that he didn't hurt them when he burst past and skipped steps for her floor. Their cries were a second too late and they couldn't catch him before he hurried into her room and found her passed out on her bed.

Face wet with tears and eyes puffy.

He stared at her, hearing her mumbling something almost unintelligible in Mandarin in her sleep. More tears kept falling on her pillow as she mewled, fingers lightly gripping the blankets. He took it all in, unsure at how to comfort her when she was like this. He had told himself not to get this involved with her anymore. Taking on such emotions like she was showing was dangerous on his psyche and it was carving his heart into tiny pieces.

"Out of the way, stupid." She commanded, pushing him aside to kneel at the head of the bed.

He stumbled into Nino's arms, looking accusingly at his friend and quietly demanding answers. Marinette's crying and Alya's quiet mothering were the only things in the room.

"You owe me an explanation." He ordered, chiseled eyes on dark brown.

Nino shook his head and looked away. "Sorry man, but this shouldn't concern you. It has too much already."

"'He's gone. It's all over. I messed up.' That's what she's saying." A finger pointed to the bed. "I understand what she's saying and that's what she keeps repeating!" His free hand shot out and grasped his friend's clothes. "What the hell has been going on over here?!"

"Let go of him and quiet down." She harshly ordered, standing and grasping his wrist. He pulled back, muttering apologies as he did so. She heaved a sigh, going back to her friend and running her fingers through Marinette's hair. "This is the situation as I understand it. You have to swear not to do anything or I'll call the police on you as a witness to all the emotional distress you've put this girl through."

Only after he swore not to do anything stupid did Alya go into a puzzle so intricate and unfinished that he could only gape. When she was done, having left nothing out, he slumped into Marinette's desk chair and put his head in his hands. "This is my fault... This is my all fault." He murmured, eyes stinging. Mandarin still came from her in the quiet. "I started this whole problem for her."

The pair sighed and looked at each other helplessly. Nino was the first to kneel and put his hand on his friend's back. "It's all sorts of fucked up, Adrien, but it's not just your fault. This whole thing is weird and it just escalated out of proportion beyond anyone's comprehension."

"I started all of this!" He denied, shaking his head. "I should have just kept this to myself and never said a word to her!"

"If you didn't, her curtains would still be open." Alya quietly supplied, trying to be comforting.

His face shot from his hands with a teary glare. "That's not the point! I couldn't control myself enough to look away! I should have fixed things on my end over there, but I didn't! I let myself get lost in watching her! I didn't know it would lead to anything like this! H – how was I supposed to know she'd end up being my friend? I don't...I don't want her to hurt anymore b – because of me...of what I did...and why..."

Nino rocked back to his heels, patting his friend again. "You're entitled to your feelings, Adrien. It's just sad that you weren't given the opportunity to act on them. You didn't know anything on this side; you only watched from your window. You took a chance when you just met all of us, but before you knew what her life was like."

"And it hurt her more than anything." He got up from the chair, falling to his knees in front of her bed. Broken Mandarin mixed with tears clawed through his ears and tore trenches through his feelings. His quickly gripped one of her hands, bringing it to his forehead. "I'm s – sorry you're going through this." He shakily muttered, switching to Mandarin as if she could hear him. "Th – this is all my fault, b – but I'm going to fix this. My fault... Everything I did was for my sake; never yours." Watery eyes opened, pinning her with his sorrow. "I'll make this right. I'll try to fix everything I did to you. I won't let you feel like this anymore."

They could only watch in total confusion, shocked that he knew their friend's second language. They looked at each other as if the other had any idea, startling when Adrien shot to his feet.

"Hey!" Nino burst out, hand going for his friend's retreating back. "Where are you going?"

The only noise he got back was the sound of the door slamming shut.


	27. Forcing a happy ending

It was too hasty to act that same day. There were things he needed, times and locations that he had to procure. Thankfully, he had gotten everyone's cell phone numbers the night of Noel and had access to a veritable data bank of intel at his fingertips.

Making the white lie was easy. It wasn't the first he'd ever done and stating he wanted to hang out with Nathaniel because he felt they didn't get to enough at Noel flowed from him. He was happy to know exactly who to send these words to so he could get info without question and Rose sent him back Nathaniel's job location and general hours as she knew them.

The rest of the next day was spent waiting and trying to find out exactly what to say that didn't end in the scuffle he had wanted to cause all night last night.

Going to class was starting to become a pointless activity because he didn't pay attention and spent more time writing down things he would say as opposed to taking actual notes. He gave crisp answers to the teacher whenever he was called upon to participate. His short sentences more often than not gave the hint that he was not in the mood to talk.

He skipped his last few classes in order to head out to the cafe before they closed. He made sure to check the place out, hat and scarf combo to hide most of his features during the journey. He didn't want any issues on the way there.

The place was interesting, but he didn't think he'd be able to visit here again ever again, so he took it in as best he could over the rising tide of emotion. He looked around, finding the place fairly crowded for the last hour, and knew he'd have to bide his time if he wanted any sense of privacy.

Spotting him was easy. Red hair in a sea of brown and blond usually was. With his cap on and hand covering part of his face, Nathaniel was all the way to his table with a menu before recognizing him.

They met eyes, both not happy to see the other. He wanted to jump out of his seat and throttle the one who had reduced Marinette to what he saw and he could only assume Nathaniel was mad from having found out about the last year.

"What can I get you, 'Monsieur'?" Nathaniel asked, tone clipped.

"Just a small cafe au lait for now. Think you can manage that, 'Monsieur'?" He retorted back, pushing the menu back over as if it were the most distasteful thing he had seen.

"A moment then, Monsieur."

He waited for Nathaniel to leave the area before the air left him in a whoosh. His heart was racing and the words he planned to say earlier were going to be a lot harder than he originally thought. Her teary face sprang to mind and his anger returned, pushing back embarrassment and hesitation.

When the coffee was placed before him, he stared at it warily. Green locked on green from his seat below.

"I can assure you that there is nothing in there but what you ordered, Monsieur." Nathaniel curtly returned.

"Have a seat for a moment." He murmured, picking it up.

Nathaniel looked to the current amount of patrons and co-workers. Now was not the time to get into what he knew was going to happen, considering how they were both acting. As much as he didn't want to be Adrien's server, there were still things he wanted to say.

"I've got other customers to attend to, Monsieur."

"A. Moment." He quietly reiterated, tone leaving no room for further argument.

With a sigh, he plopped in the chair and folded his hands together over the table. "You're not going to start something with me at my workplace, which I can only assume is why you came from your behavior alone."

"Is that what you think?" He asked, sipping the coffee.

Nathaniel speared him with a dry look. "Judging by your tone, you've found out something concerning myself and possibly Marinette." He leaned over his hands, eyes icing over. "Which I have also found out something concerning you and her as well." He nearly spat, trying to keep his voice low. "Not only do you have some serious penance to give, I don't ever want you to go near her ever again, you sick individual."

His lips twitched over the rim. "I thought that you didn't want to start anything at your workplace?" He ignored the glare. "You close soon?"

"Slightly over thirty minutes."

He looked to his watch and nodded. "Then perhaps I will have a little something to pass the time. Since we have so much to discuss it seems. Would be a shame to loiter and not buy anything..."

His teeth grit. The insufferable...! Taking an order for a basic, already-made item, he stood from his seat without much talk and quickly headed away before anything regretful could be said.

The fact that something would undoubtedly happen at or near his work had him worried. He liked his job and didn't want to lose any future artistic customers for this issue. The only solace he had was that a world famous model starting something with him over a woman would be printed badly in his favor in as many articles as possible if the public saw it. Words would definitely be exchanged, but perhaps not blows like he was fearing.

As much as he wanted to sock Adrien across his well-chiseled jaw, that may not need to happen.

Two o'clock came and his "patron" was still in his seat, eating as slowly as he could manage. One of the female co-workers came up to him, questioning Adrien still sitting in his seat when the place was pretty much empty and the others were wiping down tables.

"Is that who I think it is?"

That whispered comment from her was to his advantage. The more known a person became, the more care they needed in maintaining an image. That meant he might be able to get it to go his way much easier.

Pulling out the chair, having made an excuse to not have to finish cleaning up and yet requiring more time from his co-workers, he plopped down and folded his arms over the table. "Okay. We have about ten minutes and then we're done. Done because I'm not going to talk to you any longer than that and everyone will want to go home for the day."

He leaned over his hands, folding his fingers slowly. "That's more than enough time. I only need five to say what I needed to say." He lowly began. As if giving some great secret, he shuffled a little closer over the table. "You are a complete disgrace -"

"This coming from a stalker -"

"And a terrible human being for making her cry like you did. She was absolutely broken when I found her."

Hands slammed on the table before he could collect himself, rage in his eyes. "What were you doing in her room, you sicko?!"

"Nino and Alya were there first. I saw them from my room and burst my way past when they tried to get me to leave."

"You certainly seem well adept at spying across your window."

Emerald turned cold. Things were derailing faster than expected. "They told me what happened. You're absolutely terrible and there's not enough swear words in any language that I know to put you in your place. She thinks you two are over."

The other day came back, as did the tears on both sides. Nathaniel's head slowly shook. "We're not. I asked her to stay away from you and she didn't answer me. I left because I was too hurt to stay. If I had stayed, I would have been weeping on the floor, begging her to reconsider."

He blinked, a brow going up in surprise. That was the one piece he didn't know of which showed the rest of the puzzle, explaining everything.

His mind raced. Marinette obviously felt something for Nathaniel with as horribly as she had cried, but refused to say she would never see him again. Why he didn't know and that final detail could only come from her, but he refused to acknowledge the feelings that were created at knowing such a thing.

His eyes closed. "That was the incorrect thing for you to do. I don't know how long it'd been since you left her, but those two told me she had pretty much cried herself into exhaustion."

"I don't need to be told I'm a terrible human being by the likes of you, stalker. Did you watch her every single night?" Nathaniel's fists clenched. "Did you like what you saw? Did you see the times I was together with her? Did you get off on that, voyeur?"

He resisted the urge to grip Nathaniel's clothing as tightly as he could and shake sense into him. Diplomacy was not going well right now.

"Nino was right in one thing: this whole thing is fucked up and it's way too complex for just one person to be at fault here." He stared hard across the way. "I will admit that what I did was incorrect and I will do anything I need to in order to make it up to her."

"Then stay the hell away from her! You've watched her long enough as it is!"

"I have enough people telling me what to do and I don't plan on adding you to that list." He bit back, losing the grip on his emotions.

Nathaniel was out of his chair in a second, hands fisting his coat. "Stay away from my Marinette." He growled. The gasps and worries of his co-workers went ignored as he shook the remaining occupant. "She's mine and you're not going to steal her away from me. The last year can be your own little fun time, but that time is over! You're disgusting! Did you think that we'd all be okay at knowing you had been watching her this whole time and then let you be her friend?! You don't get to be her friend, do you hear me? Not a person like you!"

Hot breath fanned his face. "I'm not going to disagree with you." He retorted, grabbing the hands near his neck. He twisted a thumb away, causing Nathaniel's grip to lessen and stood to smooth his clothing. He looked down, being a little taller, and resisted the urge to touch the youth back in retribution. "I know what I did was wrong and I said I was going to do to anything in order to make that up to her. That includes me coming to you, knowing full well what I did, knowing that you know, and telling you to go back to her and make things right between you two. After I leave here, I'm going to be the one to make the choice for her."

Nathaniel's brow went up. "You're going to make the choice?" He warily echoed.

He nodded. "I'm not going to see her anymore. Whatever I may have felt which kept me watching her that long I put past me and moved on. I won't come between you two."

Green eyes narrowed. "I saw how you looked at her at Noel." His arms crossed. "Why should I believe you?"

"Because I have no intention of seeing her again. Not after what I caused her to go through." Sullen green looked away. "I never wanted her hurt like that. Had I ever known things would come to this level, I would have never been honest with her. I would have just bought myself better curtains so I merely didn't have the ability to see her during the evening."

Things weren't turning out in a way he expected and he stared at Adrien as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. His co-workers were nearby, no doubt watching the whole thing after his stunt, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from Adrien's. Men that watched a woman for an entire year, for however many days Adrien actually did within that year, and not develop emotions toward the person. He was expecting Adrien to fight back, not give up!

"When you're done here, I want you to go straight to her and comfort her as only you know how. Wipe away the tears she shed because of you and assure her such things won't happen again." Adrien's eyes turned sad. "You can make her much happier. You always have. I saw you two act together; I've seen it."

His arms crossed, not appreciating those final words. "I'll go to make sure she's okay." Green strayed to the clock above the bar. "If she's awake or not, I'll be there for her to smooth this out."

Adrien nodded, hands going into his coat. "That's all I wanted to know. Treat her well; she deserves it after all. She's amazing."

His eyes narrowed warily. "I'm more than aware of that."

Adrien walked by, giving a single pat on his shoulder as he passed, the hand sliding off his shoulder. He watched the man until he was almost to the door and couldn't help but take a step in his direction. "She won't be happy if she finds out what you did, you know. She may come looking for you. You have to be aware of that."

"Then just make sure she never finds out." He returned, pushing the door open and heading out into the cold without another word.


	28. Sorry is not enough

The day had been so strange. It started from a steep angle, descended sharply and left everyone breathless, then slowly churned and smoothed itself out to be less bumpy.

But nothing was an easy, straight line just yet.

So many issues had only slightly resolved themselves at Adrien's declaration of taking himself from their lives. He didn't know why Adrien would give up without a fight, didn't care to ask him, but it was still odd. Guys that were interested in Marinette were stubborn and only when blows were almost exchanged did they step away. His thin stature always belied his ability to protect the ones he loved and it took something he didn't want to do to keep them away from her.

After much apologizing and begging his co-workers not to talk to their boss, he finally left the cafe with heavy steps. He stopped at the corner, just outside of the reach of a bus stop, as he pondered his final words.

" _I'll_ _go_ _to_ _make_ _sure_ _she's_ _okay."_

He knew Marinette had been crying before he left, but he had been too heartbroken himself to care about her needs over his. She had stomped over his chest with her words, or lack thereof, and he had to run away, lest he do as she did and break down on the floor in a sobbing mess, begging and pleading. She was stubborn and only such a reaction would force her to say what he wanted, but she might not mean it.

He felt bad, really he did. Nino was right in that things were messed up and she was on the receiving end of everyone's issues...even if she might have unintentionally created some of them. He should be the bigger person and swallow his pride and emotions for her, but part of him was reserved to do so.

" _You won't stay away from him then?"_

She never said anything about staying away or not staying away, but her silence answered for her. The look in her eyes spoke more than she did in that one second.

" _Tell me you won't see him anymore...and I'll stay."_

His fists clenched as he watched the bus pass him. He remained rooted to his spot, pedestrians walking around him, some muttering at him to get out of the way as they passed. His eyes idly followed its movement as it pulled to a stop and the people got on. Some little thing in him told him he should be getting on that bus. He had to get on in order to fix everything he had done to her.

The bus heading for Marinette's dorm took off seconds later without him.

He wanted to see her, to make sure she would be okay. He had to make things okay. He had overreacted a little, he knew this. He didn't want to lose her over this mistake and huge misunderstanding everyone had created. Adrien was perhaps paying penance on his part in this by leaving them to their lives before he had entered.

But...knowing that Adrien had pulled himself out of her life didn't mean Marinette had verbally said she was going to stay out of his.

He knew her better than she did herself sometimes. WHEN she found out what Adrien had done, she was going to hunt him down and verbally slap him across the face for deciding things without her consent. She might be okay for a while after they smoothed things out, but a few measly months later, she was going to start asking questions. He had no way to lie to her for long and he was a terrible liar to her as it was.

The pair had one more year after this one to finish. If Adrien planned on staying where he was, they would still see each other in the hallways. If Marinette waved at him and he didn't even acknowledge her, she was probably going to corner him and demand an explanation. If Adrien was honest and went into the debacle at the cafe from today, she was going to turn right back around and find him, and direct her anger his way.

Knowing enough about the business from Marinette, he highly doubted someone like Adrien could just quit school and not face the consequences of his father. He didn't know Adrien long enough, but from hearing Marinette go on and on about Gabriel Agreste, he didn't seem like the kind of person to let his son quit college...even if he already had a bachelor's degree in the field.

He heaved a sigh and slowly moved to a nearby lamppost. He leaned against it heavily, thankful it was sturdier than he was at this point. His head thunked against the metal lightly as he stared into the gloomy, afternoon sky. Snow threatened to fall and he would have preferred it to blanket him and cover everything. He didn't want to know any of this was going on. He almost wished he would have remained in the dark instead of listening and figuring this all out.

He was worried; he wouldn't lie to himself about that. He had waited and been so patient for her, for his sake, for them. He didn't want to lose her now. Whatever had changed with her after entering ISC, his feelings had never wavered. He had remained here with his hand out, smiling at her when she took the time to look back his way. The thought of someone like Adrien Agreste entering into her life in any way had him panicking.

There had been so many hardships and emotional times. Times of silence and distance of so many weeks apart. They came and went depending on her homework and holiday schedules with Lucky Charm. The beginning was hard; the last few months only bearable because they were what he was used to. He always missed her and occasionally lied to himself, telling himself that things for his own benefit to wait out another lonely night without her near him. To talk to her. To look at her. To see her smile. If only he could hold on just another day, maybe she would text him...call him...reach her hand out to be with him.

There had been a few nights in the beginning where he asked himself if this was even worth it. If she was worth it. Sorbonne had been the best years of his young life so far and the cold breeze meeting his outstretched hand was too chilly for him to bear. He took his hand back to warm it against himself, feeling dejected whenever he did so. That had been the norm for him for the last year and it would continue for almost two more years.

He had forcefully told himself she was worth it. How could he even think of letting someone like her go? She was beautiful, talented, smart, shy, opinionated, thoughtful, fun, hard-working...he could keep going and run out of adjectives before he finished describing her. She was a diamond amongst dust and she had given him so much. So many of his paintings about her had been remade and sold to various owners from the cafe. She was his muse and his own personal lucky charm. Life was boring without her in it.

His loyalty demanded her hand in his. He would never forgive himself if he ever walked away from her. Their personalities went well together; they fit well together.

He looked to the ground, feeling guilty and morose about the whole ordeal. He didn't want to lose her, he didn't. His heart would bleed for months, years, afterward and he knew he would never get over her. He hadn't even when she insisted he find someone else because of her workload and said she couldn't make him happy for years to come.

At length, his eyes looked to the bus stop to find another bus coming to a stop and two people getting on. His heart jumped into action, his body springing from the jolt of adrenaline. He rushed to the front of the bus just as the doors closed, hand banging on the metal to get them to open. They did and he hurried on with breathless apologies, getting a ticket and some random, open seat he first spotted.

He couldn't lose her. He wasn't going to lose her. He would swallow his feelings and worries of possible future outcomes from his incident and see to it that he patched things up.

" _If she's awake or not, I'll be there for her to smooth this out."_

He had told Adrien he would, and he would hold himself to it. He wouldn't let a few worries overcome his love for her. If he stopped believing in her now, it would be over in the future anyway.

Fingers tapped against his arm as the bus pulled away. His leg bounced in sudden anticipation. He wanted to be there now, to take those stairs to her room and open her door to know she was okay...slightly okay...would be okay...

He harshly swallowed, watching the world go by with a new sense of dread. He had to expect the worse. It had happened before, and he knew better than to expect her to be able to do anything when he got inside her room. How would she look? Would she be awake? Would she have cried herself to sleep again? Teeth bit the skin of his thumb as he thought, brow furrowed in worry.

She always put too much on her plate and did things like this to herself. This was why he worried about her so much. This was why he needed to be with her. To keep her from overdoing it and make her take some downtime, to be there to help her relax and smile. He was the best one to do that; no one else.

The bus finally stopped at his location and he hopped up, wanting to knock down the person in front of him in the small line he was in. The second it cleared, he jumped the steps and sprinted for her dorm.

He stopped to catch his breath outside, watching fog escape him in rapid succession. He stared up to her window, eyes drifting to the other side.

" _I'm going to be the one to make the choice for her. I have no intention of seeing her again."_

He had to believe those words. If he didn't, he was going to go mad every time he was in her room, wondering if Adrien was on the other side. If someone on a different floor was looking down at her. He would make sure her curtains were forever pinned up and give her some money for the electric bill if it was such a big deal to her and she couldn't afford it. Even if most of his money went to help his family, he would work a little extra, would paint a little more, and give it to her.

He harshly swallowed and slowly walked for the main entrance doors. He paused at the steps inside, hearing quiet talking of other residents. His foot inched up to her floor, taking one step as if he had forgotten how to walk. His heart was racing, adrenaline running, trepidation high.

What if she didn't forgive him for this?

He had said he would make things okay, but what if she had had enough? What if this was the last straw for her and she decided that he needed to stay away for a while? Forever? His jaw clenched, a cold sweat breaking out on his hands. He couldn't let that happen. He assured himself that she still needed him...possibly lied to himself that she wasn't over him because of this. He may just end up as she was if this thought became his reality.

It felt like forever till his shoes reached her floor and took him down the hallway. Dread ate holes in his heart and stole his ability to breathe normally. He stopped in front of her door, not hearing anything past it or in the hallway aside from the breath leaving his mouth. Teeth bit his lip as he stared at the knob forever, mind in chaos.

Finally, his arm rose and fingers attached to cold metal.

He swallowed harshly, mentally hoping things would be okay. They could get past this; they had gotten past last year and were still together. He had to believe in her!

The door was unlocked and he pushed it open. He inched past the doorway, hearing nothing. He tried to exhale as quietly as he could, ears perked for anything. "Marinette...?" He breathed, heart in his throat. He scanned the narrow hallway, hearing and seeing nothing. He shuffled past the door and closed it as silently as possible. His feet were loud on the tiles. His eyes scanned the area he knew too well, looking at nothing as he made his way to the main area.

The wait almost killed him until he saw her...in bed...not looking awake.

The breath he didn't know he was holding left him in a whoosh as he stared down at her for countless minutes. He took in the scraggly hair, the puffy eyes, the deep frown, and furrowed brow. His heart left him and snuggled up to her, begging her to hold it and let it console her in these moments. His mouth opened as if to say something, anything, but nothing would come out. He only stood above her, looking at the mess he helped create and wonder just how he was going to fix it with words he couldn't find right now. "Sorry" was not enough for what he was looking at. It would never be enough for what he envisioned happening to her. The tangled covers around her, the arm stretched across the bed for the door only added a sword through his heart.

He barely remembered kneeling, his eyes never leaving her. Only when they hurt did he blink, but it wasn't often. Taking his vision away from her meant releasing himself from the scene and he didn't want to do so. He deserved this. He should have been the one crying on the floor; not her. Never her. Such a thing should never have happened to her.

Now much closer, he could see the lines on her face, the crinkles where her skin stretched and broke the salt from her tears. She had cried so much that he could see the tracks, could count them. It made his own tears spring out, the guilt stabbing his heart even more. He didn't wipe them away when they fell, sniffling as quietly as he could to keep from waking her.

She was so tired from this already, she didn't need such sheer exhaustion placed on her anymore...

His hand came up on its own, without his bidding. It needed to touch her, to give her comfort in any way possible. His fingers went through her hair lightly, combing tangles away as if to straighten her without words. He got away with it for maybe a dozen strokes before it did its effect and she stirred.

He didn't know how long she'd been asleep. He hoped that she had slept since he left so she could rejuvenate herself enough to accept his apologies...even if that meant she had been sleeping for an entire day. A hand covered his mouth when her eyes peeked open and he saw how bloodshot they still were. He lost the ability to speak, only muttering a muted cry of sadness at the look she pinned him with when she recognized him.

They stared at each other in a similar mix of hope, despair, worry, and confusion. Both cried equal tears, unable to stop. Even if she may have no more left to shed, more found a way to be created as she struggled to sit up. They dripped their way onto the bed, her pajamas, and onto him when he moved to help her and join her on the mattress.

She mumbled words, unable to get her brain to form at his presence. While she wished, prayed, he'd be back, she honestly didn't expect it. She didn't remember much of what happened after he left, having been in too much pain to do so.

At length, she finally managed to put his name together in a questionable tone, trying to convey everything to get answers. She sat far enough away from him to see him fully, but close enough that his hand rested on her knee in a show of consolation. When she looked to it, his other one snaked out and grasped hers, squeezing as if her skin was unraveling and he was trying to hold it together.

His mouth gaped only a few times before words spilled from him without thought behind them. "I'm sorry." He rushed, leaning for her. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!" His arms wrapped around her, pulling her to him as if she would leave as he had earlier. He held her tighter than he should, but she didn't say anything about it. Her cries pierced his ears and made his own tears fall harder. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." He breathed, hand pressing against her hair. His face buried in her shoulder. "Marinette...I...I'm sorry...I..."

Somehow, those words were like thread and the more he kept repeating them, as if on an endless loop, the more they stitched the broken gap of her heart back together. She drank in those two words, tears still falling, but her arms coming up to embrace him back. She clutched him as he did her, as if the two had lost something so precious, but feeling like they had at least still found something of worth.

His mumbling died down to a whisper, the time in between his words increasing. His hold eventually loosened, as did hers. They remained that way, sniffling yet otherwise silent. She didn't know of the words to say and he simply couldn't find any other way to string better apologies together for her. His brain had locked up despite all its earlier thinking and wouldn't move fast enough to be useful.

Part of her wanted to remain in his arms forever and not move away to see him. She didn't want to speak or look at the tears he shed. They may just make her cry all over again and start up her own list of apologies. She tried to stay this way forever, just reveling in the fact that he was here and holding her as tightly as possible.

He didn't feel like he had done enough, had said enough, to validate his emotions and get her to believe him. He finally pulled away enough to look at her, finding her just as messy as he felt. He sniffled again, a hand coming to her cheek. The amount of wetness on it made his jaw tense.

His mouth slowly opened to say something, anything. He stared at watery blue eyes, seeing something in them that was waiting for his words. He still had so much to say, but nothing would come out. "I'm...sorry..." He whispered, making more tears fall. His forehead leaned against hers, eyes sliding closed. "I'm sorry...so sorry...I -"

Her lips locked over his, closing off the rest of the loop with her insistence. He caught up in all of a second, pressing his hand against the back of her head to keep her mouth against his. His emotions clashed with her, both hearts racing in exhilaration and optimism.

She whispered his name and he returned hers to her. A shot of adrenaline went through her when his arms clutched her to him in a move that usually led to things she knew would happen from a kiss like this. She honestly didn't mind though. She needed him. Needed his touch, his feelings, his devotion. Only he could wipe away the sorrow he had created and replace it with much better memories...much higher feelings.

"Mari...nette..." He mumbled, body tuning in to hers. He pulled away just enough to feel her lips against his. "I'm sorry...Marinette... So sorry..."

"I know you are." She whispered back, hands clutching his coat as emotions overtook her. Tears fell; her voice cracked. "I am, too. We're both sorry." Her hands left his coat and moved to wipe the tears from his face, a shaky smile appearing. "I'm sorry, Nathaniel. I'm sorry for making you leave. That was my fault."

His head shook. "I shouldn't have made you cry like I did." He cut in, tears falling anew. His voice cracked and threatened to be unusable. "That was my fault. This is all my fault. I did this to you. I should have stayed. I'm so sorry."

Her head shook, negating his sole participation. "This is my fault, too. We're both at fault. No one is at fault. We're both sorry. We both cried a lot." Fingers wiped the tears that kept coming, that taunted her to keep his face dry. Her eyes turned kind, smile compassionate. "I forgive you and you forgive me. Now, let's stop crying and be happy that we're together." Her eyes teared despite her words. "Nothing is done. No one is going anywhere. It's not over. You're here with me. I'm sorry."

He kissed her with the depth of his emotions and she responded in kind. His tears wouldn't stop, though his heart overflowed at her words.

" _They told me what happened. She thinks you two are over."_

Agony ate through him and he released it on her. He held her tight as if he wanted to pull her into his skin, to touch her heart to his and use such pressure to stop the bleeding. He knew such an incident may not break them, but it would take a long time for him to stop feeling like he had created everything, that he had apologized enough to assuage his guilt.

She went with him, step for step, hold for hold, kiss for kiss. She held up against the tidal wave he threw at her and sent one back to him. Her breathing grew choppy on its own in her need to breathe and remain calm against the waves. They pulled her under in a ripe tide so harsh that she was practically shaking from the effects of her own emotions.

He wasn't unaware of this either. His kiss answered in kind, twisted itself in response to her. His hold became looser, his hands free to touch her with more care. Her shaky exhales were enough of an answer for him to keep going, which he did for his own selfish reasons. For his own selfless reasons.

He needed to erase the last few days for her. He needed to change the situation for his own mind to be able to comprehend that things would get better. If she moaned his name like she just did, certainly she wouldn't reconsider his apology and push him away for months on end again.

She could feel his heart thunder against hers as he probably could hers. "Nath...aniel..." She breathed, head leaning back as he found her neck. Her nails gripped his coat when he found a well-known spot, the breath leaving her. "Yes..."

Part of this was probably wrong. Someone was maybe taking advantage of someone in this situation, but he couldn't bring himself to care. It felt right enough and she had not pushed him away. Her clues were all he needed to know he wasn't making a mistake tomorrow. She was sending all the signals that she wouldn't regret this in a few hours.

He rested over her on the bed, staring at such emotional eyes, filled with such storms that he had created. So many good and bad things rested there, staring at him in full. She held nothing back and he gave everything that he felt to her as well.

He took her breath away and made thinking difficult. She could feel him pressed up against almost every inch of her. He kept staring at her, just barely outside the range of her lips. "I want this." She whispered, eyes demanding. "I want you." Her hand found the back of his neck and pushed, taking out a little distance, but not all. "Kiss me. Touch me. Make me feel good."

He nodded and his head fully descended. He rocked against her once, getting a noise past her lips, and her legs wrapped around him. He pressed against her just to hear that noise, egging him on and yet making him play with her all at once. Such sweet agony that had his blood boiling and her insistence mounting.

"I won't hurt you." He murmured, mouth against her ear. His tongue flicked out, getting a gasp. "I won't hurt you again." He rocked against her, feeling desperation come upon him. "I want to make you happy. I want to make you feel amazing."

"Touch me." She breathed, hands roaming across his sweater.

He lost the coat, barely realizing it was still on. The sweater was next to go, and then his hands were on the buttons to her top, fumbling in his haste. He kept messing up, pausing, as her nails scratched him when he pressed against her.

Once the cold air hit, she had all of five seconds to feel it before the heat of his mouth took everything away. Her head threw back in the heat of every button he knew that he pushed without mercy. He was horrible, taunting, making her hurried and her hands demanding. She wasted no time in finding the button to his jeans and diving past fabric.

He choked and hunched against her when fingers clasped around him. Hands gripped her sheets in a vice as he tried to recall breathing.

"Touch me. I need you." She breathed, free hand in his hair.

The emotional upheaval had been horrible, the time itself too great to exist. They should never have arrived at such a known place from that day, but the end itself was so much greater. Their fumbling with clothes was much quicker and choppier than usual, his moves in her too sweet. She couldn't hold back and keep quiet, but he loved it all. He had known desperation and excitement on such a level only one other time from last year and while it was a byproduct of horrible moments, the mood it created was partially worth it.

Her hands clawed at his back, legs tightly wrapped around his waist. Her head threw back when he broke her and she begged him to go till eternity ended. She wanted to take this second and stretch it into forever with him, forever with him, just feeling like this. She asked, demanded, prayed he wouldn't stop.

But he eventually broke, just like her.

The old feelings they shared in times like these, wrapped up in each other afterward, was such a nostalgic, pleasant feeling that he wished to remain tangled with her until the evening fell. "I love you." He murmured, finding her lips. She kissed him with enthusiasm, eyes swelling again. He noticed them when they pulled away and a hand went to her face. "No more tears." His brow furrowed up. "I've made you cry enough to last a lifetime."

"These...are okay to cry..." She managed, sniffling. She pulled him in close again, needing to feel his skin against hers. To touch his heartbeat to hers. "Don't go away. Stay with me tonight. I don't want you to leave." She suddenly blurted out, feeling lonely at the thought that he needed to head home to his own room.

"I never planned on it." He gradually sat up, feeling cold for more reasons than the winter, and stared at her. His hand moved down and brushed up her skin, as if working with delicate clay.

Her back arched as he pressed over her rib cage. She exhaled a gasp when his fingertips trailed down the top of her thigh and hot, blue eyes pinned him to his spot. "Are you...trying to do something again?" She panted, leaning up on her elbows, the barest of smiles forming.

He smiled, green darkening. "As much as I wouldn't mind it, I think I'd like to just hold you some more."

She smiled and nodded. It took forever to get out of bed and when she did, she noticed she had been in it for far too long and set about pulling sheets off for a new set. He helped make the bed and allowed her to get cleaned up for a new pair of pjs.

He donned his own emergency pair that she had made him long ago, that he kept here for times like these. He threw a towel over his head and pulled the pants to his waist, the button-up shirt going past his arms to keep him warm.

She watched him dress with her lower lip in her teeth. She stared from the bed, finally catching one eye around the towel and a grin. She quickly looked away and suddenly got up for her phone. "I'm putting on the song." She announced, pulling up her playlist.

He looked at her, smiling through a short chuckle. "I can't believe you even still remember it." He answered, sitting on the bed. His hands went for the towel and briskly rubbed.

She turned the volume to a respectful level and put it on repeat before leaving it on her desk. When she turned, her hands immediately moved and grasped some of the towel.

 **I want to be the only thing on your mind  
I'll be all you need**

His arms dropped as she continued and he stared at red and black spotted pajama bottoms. His hands came out and slowly tugged her as close as he could get without everything in his face. She went willingly, never stopping in drying his hair.

It was a song he had picked and played for her one day in the beginning, but she had never forgotten it. She played it occasionally whenever they were together. It made him happy because it was everything he felt for her. A smile played across his face as he listened.

 **Can't you see you hold my heart in your hands  
You own me, you own me**

"I think you're okay." She finally broke in, taking the towel away. He let go and she put it in the bathroom before abruptly straddling his lap in the position he still had on the bed. His arms went around her as hers did him. "Hold me..." She softly sang, nuzzling her cheek against his.

He scooted back and got comfortable. They remained quiet for the entire song, just listening and healing each other with their past and emotions.

 **Even jealous of the sun in your eyes**

 **I want you looking at me, only me**

 **I want all your attention**

After the fifth time started up, she yawned against her will and fought to keep her eyelids from collapsing on each other. Not yet. Not after hours of worrying he would never show back up and hate her forever. He was here, they had made up, and now were snuggling against each other. Not yet!

"You're tired. Let's lay down so you can get some sleep."

"Not...sleepy...yet..." She mumbled, frowning when he pulled away.

He gently smiled at her and tugged her to the pillow. She went with a pout, but snuggled against the crook of his arm the second it was offered.

"I don't wanna fall asleep yet." She mumbled, feeling like she was falling into the mattress. "I wanted to spend more time with you..."

"I just want you here with me. Don't want you spending time alone..." He quietly sang, lips tilting slightly. A hand reached up and patted her hair, getting an appreciative groan. "I only want you to only want me. Now, then and forever."

She smiled, hardly hearing the song for his heartbeat. "So possessive... I guess I can handle that." Her hand dragged itself off his chest for her mouth. She kissed her fingers and flopped them toward his mouth, slightly off.

He kissed her fingers back, emotions swelling. "When I'm with you I've got nothing to hide. You know me, you know me..."

He took her hand with a giggle from her, giving them a slight squeeze. She was still for a few more moments and he focused on her slow breathing, wondering at the time, before giving in and letting himself feel this and drift off for sleep.

 _Song: youtube com/watch?v=tyWiwGm8fTU - Daniel Bedingfield, All your attention_


	29. Ninja activities

January wasn't the best month and not because he wasn't particularly fond of the cold. The first two weeks of purposely dodging around the hallways and making sure to bolt from class to class so that he wasn't noticed, were the most stressful times he had ever known. He was pretty sure people had questions as to such erratic behavior, but no one ever approached him to ask.

" _She_ _won't_ _be_ _happy_ _if_ _she_ _finds_ _out_ _what_ _you_ _did,_ _you_ _know._ _She_ _may_ _come_ _looking_ _for_ _you._ _You_ _have_ _to_ _be_ _aware_ _of_ _that."_

He trusted Nathaniel's words in the matter, knowing the man knew her better than most. Thus, the sketchy behavior around the halls for the first month of the year.

He was only happy that, during those first weeks, she either didn't seem to notice him, or was too busy again to have the time to remember his absence. He was actually relieved.

He could hazard guesses as to why she hadn't sought him out in text or in person. She could be busy with work, all the school she missed because of work, patching up her relationship with Nathaniel, or perhaps getting some much needed sleep. All were something she should be doing and he hoped she kept at them so she was too preoccupied to let his name spring to mind.

If he wasn't focusing so much on avoiding her at school, the second his classes were done he left campus and the school grounds entirely. He didn't take up space in the library or his dorm. He kept away from the computer labs and got the necessary info on any projects to take back to the expensive computer setup still in his room at the mansion to utilize. He made sure to ignore any thoughts of her that cropped up by pointedly berating himself and spending more mental activity than before in class.

The first week of all that was really tough.

The gym was a huge help to forget their brief time. He went to work out to clear his head and get a change of scenery. After doing what he could, he cleaned up and plopped down in the cafeteria for a few hours of homework before heading back to the dorm to sleep.

His dorm... He contemplated during week one if he should still keep it or not. He spent a few nights in his old room when he studied past the bus' run time, but staying there was too foreign after so many years away, and eating breakfast there the next morning felt too cold. After the first time he used his bed, he merely showered and grabbed a new set of clothes for the day before heading out to a cafe for food. Staying there again wasn't something he wanted to make a habit of.

He couldn't leave his dorm; didn't want to leave his dorm. It was the only freedom and variety he really got in life. It allowed him to do anything he wanted with only school on his plate. The feel of his father's status in his life was at least easier to ignore, and his recognizable face something he lied was because of his own hard work. He also didn't have to worry about anyone chauffeuring him anywhere; he could eat his own meals without anyone concerned for their nutritional value; and he didn't have anyone other than his alarm clock waking him up.

Not to mention staying in the same building as his father was enough to aggravate him.

He was kind of happy that the spring line was starting to take up more and more of his time. By the time January was almost done, he was a living mannequin to those who were busy putting pins dangerously close to his skin again. Photo shoots had cropped up and he was happy to lose himself in them, making sure he turned off his phone once he arrived at the meeting place.

It got easier and almost habitual when February started edging into his days. School was something he relied on to pass the time, learning only a few new things here and there which weren't yet in his father's or Natalie's teachings. Midday or afternoon photo shoots and clothing schedules peppered the days more and more, bringing him back to how his life had been all of last year.

But with black-out curtains this time.

It took longer to get to the Village Royal mall than it did to buy them and they weren't even that expensive. He felt more than stupid for having never done something that took him maybe ten minutes to do in the store. The bus ride from the dorm and back took longer!

It was strange to stare at them and it took a long time for him to be able to ignore them. The second half of January was a constant reminder of exactly why he bought them and sometimes he'd purposely leave them open so he could see out the window and use them only at night. Once the first week of February showed up, being around them was more normal.

Except, he was traipsing back into midnight hours with another catwalk practice coming around the corner.

It was hard to catch up on the most basic staple he never got enough of and the times he didn't have class, he remained in bed to get through the days ahead. It was a lonely period, but he was used to it and sleep passed the time more effectively than the gym ever could.

He stayed away from everyone and didn't answer their texts for a few days after he received anything. Rose and Mylene sent him a few lunch invites, but he apologized that he hadn't gotten back to them in time, saying that he was booked that day because of the quickly upcoming spring line. They were acquainted enough with Marinette's work that they never asked questions or tried to rebook a different time after a while. It only ate at him a little bit, but those he had almost called friend he hadn't been acquainted with enough to feel really sad about not keeping in contact with.

Nino sent him a few texts and those were the only ones he answered more promptly than the others. There wasn't much conversation on either end, hardly any phone calls. When Nino sent an inquiry about his not getting together for lunch in the beginning, he was honest and told Nino everything. He also swore Nino to secrecy and to not tell Alya such things were going on. He knew Marinette would be highly upset and Alya perhaps as well. If the two were such good friends, Alya may let something slip and he was trying his hardest to keep such things from happening.

Nino wasn't happy about it, but he didn't press. He was supportive and gave his opinion, which was something he respected about his friend. He didn't fault Nino when his friend apologized for his part in the whole issue of introducing Marinette to him. The pair kept in touch; the only person he still wanted to talk to. He had met Nino through his work, not through anyone else, so it was easy to separate Nino from everyone.

It was just one of those things in life that could never be. He had been in his fair share of them and was well-aware of how these things worked. One reason why he didn't try to fight for her.

Being well-acquainted with the beginning and end made it easy to know what to do to move on. Keeping his distance from her and her friends was one aspect of erasing her. Another one was to get rid of anything connected to her. He erased her phone number and small text history, but one major problem still remained.

He had considered ditching the scarf she gave him for Christmas and erase every trace of her, but he couldn't do it. Sitting on his bed, soft fabric in his hands, he couldn't force himself to give it away or stick it in his old closet. A lot of thought and time had gone into it, and he would be a total heel if he did so.

Plus, he actually really, really liked it.

He had absolutely nothing like it in either closet. His father didn't do shawls for men and stopped at scarves. Since he had more than his fair share of clothes, he never went shopping. This gift was the most interesting idea and it truly looked good on him. He couldn't bring himself to do it...but he couldn't wear it in public either. He had to stay true to what he was doing and not be connected to anything with her.

When he went to put it in a box under his bed, he found something fascinating that he never saw until now and it led to a rabbit hole he couldn't keep himself from.

He had to use his hands to take the scarf off. Folding it up was a trick in itself because of the edges and tassels. When he utilized his bed for the task, smoothing his hands over everything to keep the wrinkles away, he ran across something so small and well-placed that he would have never seen it unless he stumbled across it as he had.

There was no tag nor washing instructions. But there was a small set of stitching with a ladybug emblem and "LC" next to it in the same, monochromatic color as the scarf.

The hunt overtook him more than it should have. Hours upon hours of online search with the design, the initials, and her name finally found her website.

Lucky Charm.

" _Oh? And what do you do again?"_

" _This. Everything I'm wearing. I'm a one person business. Maybe someday, when my label gets much more established than it is now, I'll hire someone else."_

The second he found the emblem, he realized he had never known the name of her label. When he asked that day they first met, she never went into the name. It was easy to figure out why though; the son of Gabriel, a major brand name, might just laugh at the owner of Lucky Charm, a small-time label with a simple website. She was probably trying to protect her pride...and keep his eyes off her site.

The website was well-crafted and easy to navigate. There were pants, shorts, capris, skirts, tank tops, t-shirts, long-sleeve and three-quarter sleeve shirts to browse through. Sweaters, coats, gloves, hats, and scarves. She even had sandals and shoes listed! Belts, purses, pajamas, robes, dresses, swimwear, tunics, tights, coats...she made everything!

He was astounded that one person could make every possible article of clothing. He was well-aware of how hard that was, having been around the designers and seamstresses as they pinned his clothes and muttered amongst themselves about angles and sizes. Curiosity getting the better of him, he wanted to see what she was fully capable of and ended up spending over two hours on her site looking at every article she had made or was planning on making.

A lot of pictures were just a mannequin or herself. He found Alya and a few of her friends pose for shots...along with some barely known models that he knew. He was acquainted with every person she used and wanted to talk to some of those models she had photographed to find out just how they met up with Marinette.

" _She'll also forgive me when I show off the gold I just got to a friend of hers, too. That'll score a few points back to my name."_

He had absolutely no idea what the hell Nino was talking at the time, but it suddenly made sense. Nino's job allowed him to get into any scene he wanted where music was required. If he could pass along Marinette's label to the models and assure payment for photos, they could then use those photos as part of their business portfolio and get their own name off the ground.

He couldn't believe she hid something like this from him because she was ashamed of her talent! He had watched her work for the last year and knew enough of her style to know it was good and up-to-date with the major labels out there. No, her sense of fashion could rival any of the major brands and after having looked at all of her stuff, male shawl-scarves even listed, he was genuinely confused that she didn't let everyone know of the stuff she made. She gave out no business cards and pointedly refused to talk to him the entire time about their label. He didn't get it.

When he found the actual brand design on some clothes, Lucky Charm either stitched in a straight design with a ladybug emblem in between the words or the words wrapping around it, he realized she purposely put "LC" next to the ladybug spots to keep him from finding out about her business. She was either embarrassed or ashamed that he found this, but he was proud of what she could accomplish...had already accomplished.

After seeing her work in its entirety, wondering what else her brilliance could come up with next year, he couldn't bring himself to ever pack away her present. As the son of a respected designer, he felt he would cheapen her work. Thus, it sat on his desk for weeks until he made to brush the dust off it and keep it perfect. He went to class and the gym, eyes occasionally passing over it on his way out. Anytime he thought to put it in the box under his bed, he couldn't do it.

Trying to keep himself off her website at night before going to bed was hard, too.

February's schedule helped a lot to keep him from doing so. Being too tired to pull up her website at midnight was a help. The knowledge he had gained since that day of briefly foregoing his word and looking into her some more showed him an angle which he would have never found out otherwise. She would have never told him the extent of things she made because of her worries and his status.

If he hadn't sworn to Nathaniel that he would stay away from her and never contact her again, he would have rushed over to her dorm and shook her for being so stupid and thinking so little of herself. He had said she was amazing and everyone around her knew it, had probably known it for years.

" _She's got her own business too and we're all so proud of her."_

He couldn't do anything with the feelings he had at seeing her site. As a designer's son, he wanted to acknowledge her brand to the public, but he couldn't. He wanted to promote her to other models, even pass along the web address to them to expand her business, but he didn't think it would be a good idea. He had given his word to never see her again and if there was a sudden influx of models wanting to work with her, she would know it had been him. She would try to contact him and that's what he was trying to prevent right now. Even if he wore the shawl and some models saw it, ending up on her website and getting clothes from her page, promoting them themselves, she was smart enough to connect the pieces.

The spring show had become something he looked forward to. After knowing just what he let go, he needed the outside chatter of production and design to keep him out of his thoughts. He needed his textbooks and professors to distract him from how dumb he had been for saying he was going to stay away from such a person forever.

An amazingly beautiful and utterly talented woman.

He couldn't curse his throwing away such a chance to know her, to befriend her, to be anything else to her. She already had someone in her life whom she had been with for years and he had too much respect for her to trample on that for his own selfish desires. His involvement in her life had been worse and ever since they first laid eyes on each other, she had never reacted to him positively. She couldn't fully get past his status to know him, didn't trust him with her brand. While he pretty much buried everything he felt and used distance as a coping mechanism, her shawl still sat on his desk.

He wouldn't go back on his word. He had spent an agonizing January avoiding her so she didn't see him. He had kept his phone off as much as possible to make sure he didn't see her number in a text. He had made sure to keep her friends away so there was no secondary connection. He had done as much to delete her presence in his life and visa versa.

But he couldn't get her work out of his head.

The spring show was around the corner, and she had started cropping up in his thoughts. Not as a lost opportunity, but as a designer he had admired more than his own family's. He was a figurehead for Gabriel...but he wanted to wear her scarf to the prep meetings. He planned on keeping her out of his life as a friend, but she was still a rival label.

A label he very much to wanted promote.

He couldn't; he forcefully kept himself from wearing it. He stared at it as he passed by it on his way out for the day, day by day. It would only bring trouble in the future, for him or for her. He had to keep to his word, he had to make life simple again.

But, it graced his neck one day...and it felt good.


	30. A spring storm

Spring fashions were fun. The available patterns and colors, the unknown possibilities of taking away fabric and putting cuts in random spots had her head abuzz with all sorts of ideas. While the first half of January was spent with Nathaniel making up and spending some real time with him as a way to pay him back for all she'd put him through, the second half was utilizing his artistic brain to express all the ideas which wouldn't come out of her head.

So many times she had been thankful he was near to help her with her creations. Any time he drew exactly what she wanted and ripped page after page out of his sketchbook, she mentally promised to give him credit or a portion her pay for his help. The time with him was half spent enjoying his company with the other half going over what she had in mind in order to get a third party opinion. She had often done so in the past and he was well-tuned to her thoughts and had a lot of good info to give.

She eventually went out and bought him a new sketchbook, plus one for him to doodle in that she could take with. She kept it with her, pulling it out only with apologies and pleads for his help, which he always brushed aside and took the pencil from the spiral.

The times returned to years past, when they did such things during Sorbonne. She would be his muse for a project and he in turn would ask questions she couldn't think of with designs and give her ways to formulate the main idea. The snow turning to rain only made the anticipation of spring even more desired, if only so they could hang out outside soon and do these things.

With Noel done and her orders returning to their stable, lower levels, she had many more hours to devote to him. She felt she owed it to him after the last year, especially the last month, to do what she had little time to do. With his recent suggestion of being with her after her classes and his part-time job were done, they molded it into something all their own. Whether she spent time agonizing over clothing for her site or homework, he was there by her side, silent or not.

Only the recent, occasional lunches with other friends had her looking toward her dorm window a few times as February rolled in.

Only when it was almost the middle of February did she realize she hadn't made one move to contact Adrien. When she realized she hadn't seen him since Noel, almost two whole months, she immediately felt bad. Any attempt to contact him after that epiphany came back with silence and it kind of hurt. It only stung until the career side of her brain kicked in and she realized his father was probably employing him for the show that was going to happen any day now.

When she realized he was way too busy to chat, she forcefully told herself to wait until maybe March when the line was out and most of the photo shoots were done. In the meantime, there was Ivan's birthday almost upon them and Juleka's coming up that she had presents to make. Maybe she'd invite him to Juleka's birthday, if he had time. Juleka wouldn't mind and she had a feeling Rose may do it for her if she didn't.

"Maybe I'll check with Rose first to see if she hasn't already..." She mumbled, mostly to herself.

He looked up, brow raising. "What? Rose?"

The pencil moved from her lower lip. "Ah...I was just thinking that it's been months since I saw Adrien and I felt bad for ignoring him the whole time. I thought maybe inviting him to Juleka's birthday would be a good idea. I just wanted to check and see if Rose hadn't already sent him an invite before me."

His mouth opened to tell her that wouldn't be a good idea, but it snapped shut before he incriminated himself. He looked to his sketchpad, feeling a small sense of dread at the subject. "Ah..." He mumbled, unable to get anything better out.

She looked at him at the tone. Her lips pressed together, feeling guilty for reminding Nathaniel of the last time Adrien's name was brought up. "Listen...I know what it may seem like, but I swear to god nothing is going to happen." She quickly shoved both of their sketchpads aside and sat in his lap, feeling like she needed to reassure him. Her hands covered his cheeks, soft smile on her face. "I know you're worried, but you don't have to be. He's in the same college as I am and it was kind of nice to have someone in the same school, who is in my line of work, to hang out with. He understands a little of the pains I go through when I get really busy and he gets it when I don't text him for a long time." She jolted, eyes flying open, when the words sunk into her head. "Not like you're not all those things! You're more! You're much better than he is, I swear! You understand! I know you do! You've been so amazing and patient with all my time away from you!" She quickly hugged him, cringing against his hair as if he was going to start crying at the insinuation.

He sighed and patted her back. "I get what you mean." Dejected green looked to her room. "Don't let what you just said bother you. I know how you get upset when you don't get to hang out with our friends from Sorbonne because of your schedule. I can see why you'd like to be friends with Adrien...living so close and all..."

She pulled away and the slight bite to his words at the end. "Nathaniel Kurtzburg!" Her hands covered his cheeks again, eyes reproachful yet searching his for danger. "I...no. None of that! I made those curtains like I said I would, didn't I?" A finger shot to them, though she didn't let him look. "Last time I looked, his window was blacked out, too."

A red brow went up at the last sentence.

She mentally panicked. "I mean...I just wanted to check! I needed to make sure he didn't try anything! That's all!" She quickly hugged him again, wanting to slap herself across the mouth. "That's not what I meant! I don't look over into his room at all! Not like that! I swear to god!"

He sighed again, shaking his head at her behavior. The anxiety and rapid speech alone told him of her honesty and Adrien's promise ran through his head. The fact that she hadn't mentioned Adrien until now spoke of how distant the man had been, just as he said.

 _WHEN she found out what Adrien had done, she was going to hunt him down and verbally slap him across the face for deciding things without her consent. She might be okay for a while after they smoothed things out, but a few measly months later, she was going to start asking questions._

The day had apparently come much later than he worried it would. He got maybe a few more weeks out of the whole thing, but he still hadn't thought of anything to say to keep her suspicions down and her interest away.

"I know it sounds horrible, but please don't think ill of me." She rested her forehead against his. "I just...thought it might be nice to have another friend, you know? You know how much I don't see everyone from Sorbonne as it is. How much I ignore you as it is."

"You don't -"

She gave him a dry look. "I'm a horrible person and we both know it." She put her palm over his mouth when he went to negate her again. "I just thought it might make studying a little more fun, maybe discuss projects with someone who has something of the same major as I do." Her eyes lowered, hand falling away. "I...I know you want me to stay away from him...and I want to respect that..." Teeth bit her lip for a second, nails pressing into her palms. "I just...thought...I could be his friend. He is still a good person, you know..."

He stared at her in all her openness and read every line of the book she was making in front of him. Her guilt said that she didn't intend on doing anything to him like she had ever again; her downcast eyes sad for the fact that she didn't have enough friends to laugh with; her fidgeting telling him of the hope he would allow such a thing and not get jealous that she had a highly attractive male friend who was also much more into her than she would know.

" _She may come looking for you."_

" _Then just make sure she never finds out."_

How was he supposed to do that? He was a horrible liar and he hated lying to her, but she could see right through him even if he tried. Any excuse he might have wouldn't hold water for very long and he would feel awful for saying such things to her.

She wanted friends and he understood this. She deserved them, although he was well aware of the certain times of the year she would end up avoiding them.

They had all started going along their own paths since they graduated and it was hard to hold onto those past days. Nino was so busy with his many jobs, Alya was at an entirely different college, Ivan was trying to get his band off the ground, Mylene was working for a publishing company and also trying to get a few book ideas sold to them, Rose was planning on traveling in a few months for the vacation company she was translating for, and Juleka was thinking about heading to Germany or Italy for a bit to get art inspiration for her abstract works. He was the only one who was left standing beside Marinette, the two of them holding hands as they watched the other pairs scatter to the winds of time and their own lives.

Even after the last months had passed, he still didn't trust Adrien with her. He had seen how Adrien had behaved and after knowing he had watched Marinette for an entire year, there was no promise that nothing would happen on his end. Being a guy and Marinette being who she was, he knew. If Adrien ever got to really know her, his words would evaporate and his feelings would take over.

That's how it had been for him when they met back up in Sorbonne. All those years apart in high school felt like nothing. She was friendly with him and he felt hard for her; for her beauty, her talent, her kindness, her hard work.

"I...I still don't know..." He mumbled, looking away. He ignored the eyes on him, jaw clenching at the truth he desperately wished to hide.

"Why not?" She insisted, sitting back on his legs. She looked at him when he refused to answer or meet her gaze. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully at seeing his shift around the floor a few times.

He was hiding something. She suddenly became aware of this and her mouth dropped open.

She sat on his legs in silence, watching a few tell-tale signs of discomfort crop up on his face. In the corners of his eyes. The tightness of his mouth. The grip of his jaw. The way he never looked at her.

"Did you do something?" She hedged, arms slowly crossing.

His mouth opened a little and he quickly snapped it shut.

His motions told more about him than words would. She sat back as far as she could, mouth dropping open and unable to shut as she stared at him. "Did you do something?" She repeated. Her arms were tight against her chest, lips closed for the longest time. "What did you do? Don't lie to me."

"Nothing." He mumbled, unable to get up with her pinning him down. Putting distance between them would give him away entirely and he was grasping at straws right now as it was. "I haven't done anything."

Her hands whipped out and grasped his sweater, face inching to his. "Your words don't match your actions, Monsieur." She nearly hissed. She tugged the fabric a bit, finally getting his shocked gaze. "You're hiding something from me. You know I hate liars. Don't be like that." Her eyes turned to slits. "There's something going on. With Adrien. With you. With me. What happened?"

Her mind whirled. The last big incident was the only big clue that she could grasp at, could make any hypothesis from. Their argument concerning her seeing Adrien had him leaving and leaving her sobbing on the floor. They had made up after that, sure, but Nathaniel couldn't make one good sentence right now as to why she shouldn't see Adrien.

"Did you talk to him sometime by yourself?" She theorized. Her eyes met his, flittering between two wide, green pools. "Did you threaten him?"

His mouth opened and closed. He could feel his palms sweat, even as a shiver went up his spine.

A slip of a girl Marinette's size was easy to get away from. Her sitting on his legs, hands fisting his sweater like she was going to bang his head against the wall was nothing. Though he wasn't muscular, he could still get her off him.

If she didn't kill him first.

She stared at the person she had known for over three years, four years even. She had known almost every single side of him, whether intentional or not. She had seen him happy, sad, and enraged. She knew the look he was giving her when he wasn't telling the full story and might have done something when she wasn't around. She put nothing past him, but she wouldn't let him remain silent any longer.

She was almost fifty kilograms and just barely topped one and a half meters. He had held her in the crook of his arm before and carried her around the room on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. But she was still enough fire and rage in that tiny package to render some damage before she stormed out of her room and do just like he had surmised she would sooner or later.

"This has to do with that day, doesn't it?" She interrupted, face getting close to his with fiery blue eyes. "You didn't want me to see Adrien anymore and left. You didn't come back that same day; not until the next day when it was almost done. You did something to him in the meantime, didn't you? You went to his room and said something, maybe even beat him up!"

"I did no such thing!" He blurted out, exasperated beyond belief. "I didn't go to him! He came to me at my work and started harassing me!"

He kicked himself at the slip, but gave her the truth. He tried to keep it short, but when she gave his shirt a little shake at his holding back, he gave up.

He just wished there wouldn't be any more altercations after this!

"I can't believe you did that!" She nearly screeched, yanking on his collar. "How could you do that?! I didn't ask you to do that!"

"I wanted you to stay away from him!" He retorted, hands grasping her arms and shaking her. "You're mine and I wasn't going to let him have you!"

Her teeth grit. "I had no intention of dating him." She growled. "I was only looking to be his friend!"

"He wasn't thinking of that and you know it." He bit back. "Everything he did since he first laid eyes on you spoke of his intentions. A man doesn't watch a woman for an entire year from afar and not have feelings for her."

"If he ever did, I would have denied them!" Her eyes teared, feeling hurt. "Do you think I would have dumped you to go out with him?!"

"He's an Agreste!" His grip slackened, face turning away from her. "He's a handsome, famous model whose father you highly respect in a business you're trying to make your way in. That's bad enough. He can buy you anything you want, get you tickets to any show he's in, let you meet his father and talk about the business."

She stared at him with tears falling down her cheeks, mouth open in shock. She stared at the injured look on his face, in the tightness of his jaw. Her chest squeezed and made breathing hard as she froze there, unbelieving the words out of his mouth.

Such things never occurred to her when it came to Adrien. She never thought of getting favors from him in any way. If he ever offered them to her, she might even deny them out of polite courtesy, knowing how much they may cost him in any manner. If he'd intended on doing such things to win her favor, she definitely would have turned them down! She might not recognize such a thing at first, but she would catch on once suspicion rose.

It took forever to speak and any time she tried, her throat convulsed and kept her from doing so. She almost had to force words out. "Did you...think so little of me...?" She whispered, blinking more tears down her face. Her grip slackened on his clothing. "That I'd leave you for him?" She slowly sat back, hands falling into her lap. "That...all these years meant absolutely nothing to you? To me?"

He looked to the floor, willing his own tears from falling. He finally looked over, seeing her a mess that he swore to himself he'd never make happen again. She stared at him like he had slapped her across the face, but it might not have been so agonizing if he actually had.

His shoulders slumped, hands useless at his sides. He looked to her bed, a tear falling. "The whole last year...all you've done is try to push me away." His eyes closed, unable to look at her. "You've tried to tell me to find someone else and I know it was because of your business. That's what has always been the most important thing to you. Now...he shows up."

"He -"

"You're special to him in a way that you don't see. You blind yourself to his feelings. Just because he hasn't told you, doesn't mean they're not there!"

She couldn't breathe. Her chest had never felt this constricted, like her desk was over it. Her hands were shaking and she couldn't get the tears to stop.

She had never felt more betrayed. She knew she might have deserved some of this for breaking up with him last year and some logical part in the back of her head screamed at her that she had done nothing to stop his accusations. His sullen appearance was from what she had done to him despite it being for him. Nathaniel was right and she had toyed with him for a year. She had no reason to cry for doing as he had said, even if she only wanted him to be happy. She was always trying to think of him, never thinking just how much his happiness laid squarely in her hands.

She suddenly got off him, unable to be near him right now. She stood on the cold floor, ignoring her name from his lips and his presence behind her. Her heart raced, adrenaline on high, emotions scattered.

She couldn't deal with this again. Not again. Things had been so nice for the last few months and now they had thrown back the clock to every similar incident since the initial conversation last year. At the very heart of every other argument and making up, this was what started it all. Whether directly or indirectly related, they always fought about this in the end.

Fought about something that should never have been an issue had she just kept to her own word and not given in to her history with him.

Hands covered her temples, pressing down as if to squeeze out every bad thing in her head. Her head hurt, her chest heaving. She was so tired of crying! Why couldn't they just be happy? She wanted nothing more than to go back to their time together during their undergrad years! If she never thought of grad school, continuing to date him would have been okay, but she was gaining so much ground with her business because of school and she needed to be here. It was also unfair to her to cast aside something which would help her business so much. While he had been such a part of her life for her undergrad years, she couldn't make a living off those memories.

He was more than shocked when she bolted from the room as if he were trying to attack her. He stood in shock only for the time it took her door to close and then he hurried after her. She had only a pair of inside clothes with no shoes; she'd freeze if she intended on going outside!

He yanked the door open and looked down one side of the hallway, not seeing her. He turned to the other, also not seeing her. He stood in total stupefaction, wondering just how she managed to disappear entirely on him within a few seconds. He hurried down the hall for the stairs, hoping she hadn't gained too much ground on him.

She waited in a corner of the small kitchen until his footsteps faded, hands covering her mouth to quiet her sobs. She sniffled once it seemed safe to do so, standing on weak legs. She couldn't be near him, couldn't hear anymore of his words. She looked to her attire, knowing he'd come back upstairs the second he didn't see her on the ground floor. She couldn't do much like this, but she didn't have a choice if she didn't want to face him anymore.

She didn't think to her own safety, only freedom from this pain, as she hurried for the nearby side door and burst outside, rushing down the steps as if the building truly were on fire.


	31. Thunder and lightening

How late was it? God, it felt later than he wanted it to be. He didn't know just how he managed to get away from his photographer, let alone the man think it was a good idea to snap pictures with his eyes as bloodshot and tired as they were.

All he wanted to do more than anything right now was sleep! He had class tomorrow and didn't have time to deal with this. Maybe he could nap the day after since he didn't have too many classes and feign ignorance if Natalie texted him for any late appointments.

He stepped out of the car, halfheartedly thanking his driver for dropping him off so late and shut the door. He waited only until the vehicle pulled away before walking in the direction of his building.

It took three pauses before he realized the noise wasn't coming from him.

He stopped amongst the streetlights and cold. He pulled his coat a little tighter around himself as he looked around, trying to identify the source of the sound. He tried to walk as quietly as he could on the frosted ground, hearing his steps crunch over the grass way too loudly, as his curiosity took him in what he thought was the right direction.

What was that noise?

It was highly muted and had he been any less alert, he would have walked right past it. He stopped and closed his eyes, trying to identify it. It sounded familiar and he took two more steps toward it.

It was dark and he would have brought out his phone for the light app, but he lost the noise when he was half a meter away. Something else accompanied it, also highly muted, like it was trying to be hidden.

He gave in and turned the app on, shining it into bushes devoid of leaves, and found someone behind there.

He jumped with a startled cry, almost dropping his phone in the process, before collecting himself and hurrying over. "Hey! Are you okay?"

The person took off like a bullet from behind the branches and he heard a definite feminine cry of pain as some of them connected. He chased after, wary and confused. If there was a female out here in this weather, he wasn't about to let her go without helping her! If she was homeless, the least he could do was offer her some food...provided she didn't attack him in the process.

Whoever she was didn't give good chase and he caught up because of two very noticeable reasons. She didn't have shoes on to handle the ground and she was really short.

"Wait! What are you doing?" He finally grabbed an arm and yanked her around, but she fought him. It hit his ears that the noises he heard earlier were cries, as she was practically hysterical. "I'm not going to hurt you!" He coaxed, flinching when her nails tried to harm him through his coat. "It's okay! You're safe!"

"Leave me alone! Let me go! Get away from me!"

He dropped his phone and used his free hand to grab her other arm. "You're safe; I swear I won't hurt you! What happened to you? Is someone chasing you?"

"Let me go! Get away from me! Don't come near me!"

The voice snaked past every initial emotion he had been feeling since he found her and clobbered him over the head. "Marinette?!"

Said person stopped fighting his hold, a familiar smell of cologne making its way to her brain. "No... No!"

"Marinette, wait! It's me; it's Adrien! You're okay, I'll protect you."

"Get away from me!"

He didn't know what had happened that she was huddled outside of her dorm without shoes, without a coat, and a sobbing mess. She was trying to fight him like a mad cat, trying to claw him in any spot she could reach. Thankfully, he was well adept in self-defense and easily kept her from hurting him.

He grasped both of her wrists with one hand and held them over her head to the point where she had to tiptoe to remain standing. He quickly turned and remained behind her so she couldn't kick him, his arm keeping her against his front so she couldn't wriggle free. His brain couldn't work fast enough to figure out the jumbled mess that was suddenly thrown at him and "confusion" was way too weak of a word to use.

"Let me go! Let me go! Get away from me! You're the whole problem! Don't make things worse!" She struggled with every ounce of anger, desperation, and pain to get out of his hold, but she was too small and he was much taller than she was. He wasn't injuring her, but certainly wasn't allowing her to hurt him to get away. "He'll kill you if he sees you! You'll only make this worse!"

He was about ready to haul her to anywhere else so she'd stop screaming at the top of her lungs. As it was, he looked like he was attacking her and trying to rob her! But, if he let her go, she was only going to take off again and he didn't want her to injure herself.

He didn't really want to do this, but it seemed like he had to...

In one quick motion, lessons coming back to him, a leg swept out to kick her feet up, and the arm around her waist hoisted her into the air and tucked her against his side. He kept hold of her wrists lest she swing them at him and only didn't cover her mouth to quiet her screams so she didn't try to bite him. He had a feeling she'd try to go through leather and even if he had his gloves on, she was something to trifle with right now.

He stopped around the side street, thankfully deserted, so she didn't bring other residents, let alone the police down on him. "Okay, now that we're away from everyone, I'm going to put you down so you can talk to me like a rational human being. Think you can do that?"

Her legs kicked. "I don't want to talk to you! You made everything worse! Let me go!"

He heaved a sigh and bounced her as he tried to remain standing. "That's what I'm trying to do! I want to help you here, but you're not making it easy. I need you to take a deep breath and calm down or I'll keep holding you like this until the morning comes upon us. I'm stronger than you are so don't think I can't do it."

The way he had taken off and carried her so effortlessly had her believing him. Her legs hung limp behind them, her head oddly dangling. She was quiet as she tried to regain her breathing, hiccuping and unable to pull in air without almost hyperventilating.

It seemed to take her a while to do such a simple thing and he was worried about what had happened to her. The last three months washed away as if the Atlantic Ocean had suddenly crashed a tidal wave down and swept his earlier promises out to sea. His worry for her escalated as the seconds ticked by, questions ready and waiting impatiently.

She was mortified, upset, and angry that the one person to find her was the last person she wanted to see right now. She would have preferred being in Nathaniel's hold to Adrien's! Not because Adrien was being extremely gentle with her, but because her torso wasn't that long and his hand was almost touching her chest! She wanted to die!

"Are you ready for me to put you down now?" She nodded and he did as such, still keeping a good hold on her wrists.

"Let go of me." She sullenly ordered, looking away in the dark.

"If I do that, you're going to take off. If you haven't noticed, you don't have any shoes on. I don't prefer you to blister your feet on the pavement around Paris just because of me." His grip tightened when she slowly tugged against him as if testing him. He scowled and pulled her closer. "I'm not going to let you go and despite how tired I am right now, I'm not leaving until you tell me what the hell is going on!"

That was the last thing she wanted to do. All she was planning on was Nathaniel eventually leaving her dorm and return to it so she could lock the door and keep him out. She would pick up the pieces later, but now it had become so much more complicated than she ever wanted. She never thought she'd run into Adrien, given how busy he was, but fate was a bitch and it was mocking her right now.

"You're the last person I should be talking to right now." She bit out, pouting. "You need to leave me alone so I can go back to my dorm."

"The question I have is why are you out of it like this anyway." His finger pulled on her sleeve, finding it flimsier than he thought. She didn't even have a sweater on! "You've got to be freezing! It's not even March and it's late! What are you thinking?"

"Don't lecture me." She tugged on his hold, but it was worthless. "In fact, you shouldn't even be talking to me. He made that very clear months ago, and he's going to come at you if he sees this."

He was trying to put the pieces together as fast as she was giving them to him. They were vague, but any time he had seen her this distraught wasn't directly because of him. "Did something happen with you and Nathaniel again?"

She tugged against his hold, feeling a sense of panic and anger. "Don't you listen very well? I said to let go of me! I don't want to talk to you about anything! I'm mad at you for being a jackass! He's a jackass. You both are! How dare you!"

" _She_ _won't_ _be_ _happy_ _if_ _she_ _finds_ _out_ _what_ _you_ _did,_ _you_ _know._ _You_ _have_ _to_ _be_ _aware_ _of_ _that."_

He heaved a sigh and looked to the night sky. He knew he trusted Nathaniel's word for a reason.

"Did he tell you? I thought he wasn't going to do so."

Her jaw clenched. "I didn't exactly let him keep quiet." She bit out. She took a step forward and kicked a shin. "You have no right to decide what I'll do in my own life! You think that just because you ignore me like that, that I wouldn't come after you about why?! Do you think that I would just forget about you like that?!"

"That was kind of the plan." He mumbled, cringing when she kicked him again. "Stop that before I pin your legs!"

"Do it and I'll kick your ass!" She stood tall, chin still raised quite high so she could even look him in the face. "I may be way shorter than you, but my knee is at the right height to take you down a few pegs!"

He shuffled to the side before she could make good on her word. "I'm trying to help you here! I stayed away because there was nothing good that I could do for you in your life. Anything that I'd done so far had only made trouble for you and Nathaniel! I was doing it for your sake."

"My sake? Ha!" She managed to twist a wrist and poke him hard against his coat, hoping it connected. "I'll decide what's good for me, not you! If I decided you were it, then you have no reason to push me away like that! That was a horrible thing you did! You should have talked to me about it instead of with him!"

He swallowed hard. She had him pressed against the wall to his dorm, the streetlights partially illuminating the glare she was giving him, and she was staring him down though he was a whole head taller than she was. Intimidated was a good word right now...so were some other things he didn't want to think about...even though his heart was racing like it was...

She yanked her hands free and pounded a fist against his shoulder before poking him again. "Maybe now that I'm here, I'll take this chance and give you what-for like I was thinking of doing earlier for doing such a stupid thing. You didn't even talk to me about it first! You thought that just because Nathaniel was upset with your behavior that you were going to cower away from him?"

He rubbed his shoulder and grabbed her hands before she could hit him again. "Look," He growled, heart accelerating, "there's more going on than what you're aware. I stepped back for your own good and you can leave it at that. I have no more reason to contact you or talk to you. This was a fluke. You go and tell that idiot to stop worrying about me in the slightest and just be happy with you."

She scoffed. "Don't think that I'LL let you go after such vague words like that." She took advantage of her hands near his coat and grabbed fabric. "You have some explaining to do and I'm not going to let you go until you do so. I just wanted to be your friend! Was that such a crime? Nathaniel has nothing to worry about and I've told him that multiple times!"

"It's not about that..." He groused, looking away.

"So then explain it to me! What's so hard about a few words? Huh?"

She could only egg him on so much. The mere fact that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was getting in his face, showing a temper he had never thought her to possess, wearing what she was wasn't helping. "Don't ask for anything." He sidestepped, pushing her away a little. She held on in a vice and he couldn't get her hands away unless he twisted them to get her to let go. "It's not an answer you want to hear. Nino was right. This is a huge mess. I cut my losses like he suggested and I'm moving on."

She scoffed again. "Even if you didn't find me like this, I was still planning on storming into your room and demanding answers from you anyway. The scenario is just different." She took a step forward. "What's the big deal with you?"

The angel tried to keep its hands over the little devil's mouth as the devil on his shoulder struggled the entire time during her tirade. It finally elbowed the angel away and shouted at him to give in. She was right here and so close! Just do it already!

Heart racing, he yanked her forward, harshly claiming her lips with his and chaining her with his free hand on the back of her head.

Her eyes stared at his closed lids, feeling his tongue in her mouth all too clearly. She could feel the erratic beat under his coat, matching her own. She stilled in his hold, too shocked to respond for the longest time. Only when one hand went through her hair, the other letting go of her wrists to encircle her back, did she snap to. She pushed at his chest, trying to take her mouth back, but he kept her pinned against him as he kissed her as passionately as anything Nathaniel had ever given her. She slammed a fist on his chest, finally getting what she sought as he released her, the two of them breathing hard.

" _Everything he did since he first laid eyes on you spoke of his intentions. A man doesn't watch a woman for an entire year from afar and not have feelings for her."_

" _Even if he did, I would have denied them!"_

It sounded like Nathaniel was just jealous of Adrien being anywhere near her, as he stated earlier, since she had never heard the words from Adrien himself. Any incident with him that she could remember was never of this level, or anywhere remotely related. She was an idiot to think that he would never feel anything like that toward her. The whole year he had watched her and she had brushed it off without thinking about it...without wanting to think about it. She hadn't wanted to get into it in a deeper level since she had Nathaniel.

She had never considered Adrien so intimately; only finding him physically attractive...as did the rest of the female population. She had only known Nathaniel and didn't flirt with other men. She was too naive to think anyone else would have liked her like that and was not very adept at reading their signals. His words became something new and she didn't know what to do with them.

What did she do with this now?

He stared down at her, daring to put his hands on her shoulders. She stared at him like he had sprouted a second head, hand floating to her lips. She gave them the barest of touches, mouth still open. He felt like he needed to say something, to explain himself somehow, but he couldn't force words out. She stood there, just staring and not blinking as if he had done something so unexpected.

Did she always think that he never thought differently of her after that year? Nathaniel was right!

"Look." His mouth gaped a few times, his throat uncomfortably clearing. "This is why I never wanted to stand in between you two or get involved with your life anymore. I can't. I...I can't be your friend. I tried, but you're too awesome for me to stay so unattached. I just can't..." He looked away. "It's...better this way. Believe me. For both of our sakes."

Here was someone else deciding something for her life. She wanted to be more upset than she felt, but her lips still buzzed where he had touched her. She still tasted him in her mouth and it was unnerving her. It unnerved her because a small, quiet part of her brain thought that he wasn't that good of a kisser and that he needed more practice.

She mentally shook herself. What the hell? It wasn't like she was planning on volunteering to teach him!

"I can take you back to your room, or at least as far as I can." He uneasily continued. "Although, if Nathaniel is anywhere on the premise, it's probably not a good idea. If he sees me, he's going to ask questions and I don't feel like being throttled or punched right now." One hand gave an awkward pat. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kiss you without your consent. It just...kinda happened."

She could hardly hear him with her ears ringing as much as they were. Her heart wouldn't slow down and her adrenaline was still going from his stunt. It was hard to think and all she could do was dumbly stare at him, hand still at her mouth.

She wanted to run away from him, but she wondered if he would take off after her again to see to her safety. She couldn't escape him to her dorm because Nathaniel might still be up there somewhere and all she wanted to do was hide from the two of them. If Nathaniel saw Adrien, he was going to start something at this hour and all she wanted was to warm up and crawl in bed to forget this entire evening ever happened. She wanted to erase it and have never mentioned Adrien in the first place!

She couldn't go to her place because this wasn't going to end. She foresaw it continuing on with either more arguing or more apologies. She didn't want either of them and she knew she couldn't go back up there.

Her feet shuffled back just a bit on the concrete, mind whirling. She couldn't go back upstairs, but she couldn't stay with him anymore. Those eyes he was giving her, the feel of his hands encompass her shoulders was making her tremble. She couldn't deal with him; she had enough issues with Nathaniel to smooth out!

There was no good place to run that was nearby. Alya was probably asleep and at this second, she had no keys, no phone, and no money on her. She couldn't go anywhere far because the buses weren't running anymore. He may just take off after her and keep her from trying to hide on the streets.

There was ONE safe haven away from everyone though... And it wasn't too far either...

It would be something of a run, but right now she needed to do just that. She had to get out all of this nervous energy, the stress, the anger, and the defeat. She mentally hesitated, not wanting to bother anyone, but knew that the hidden key was still in its spot and she could get in without having to wake anyone.

She shuffled back only a few steps to get out of his hold before taking off in a dead run away from the dorms.

He watched her go, not yelling at her exit, not trying to go after her. He never asked questions as to where she was going, knew he shouldn't get involved anymore. As it was, he'd just messed everything up by listening to his own emotions.

A hand went through his hair with a heavy sigh. This was the thing he worried about back in the beginning and it was partially why he avoided talking to her about this in the first place. She had rejected him, rightfully so, but it still stung...even if he was somewhat used to it and had expected it long ago. That didn't make the disappointment hurt any less though...

He had told himself so many countless times that he had no place with her with Nathaniel being there. Seeing her again though wasn't a help in the slightest to take him from everything he had built up over the last few months. The things he had learned during their time apart had altered his emotions toward her. All he could see was her and all the redeeming qualities she had.

His glove brushed against his lips, thinking back to how soft hers were. Her mouth was much smaller than his, the taste of her tears faintly there.

He sighed and leaned against the brick wall. "Damn it Agreste..." He looked to the night sky, fist balling up and halfheartedly hitting the wall at his waist. He stared for what felt like forever, unable to get the will to move and go up to his room. He hated it that the kiss was cut short; that she left his hold so quickly. She was so small and his arms went around her so completely. She made him feel much bigger and stronger with her petite frame encompassed by him. She was cold and that made her appear that much more fragile in his mind. The urge to protect her had him taken aback in a way that he liked and wanted more of.

He wanted to continue it forever...even after he told himself he shouldn't.

A hand covered his face, his throat dry. "Fuck...why did she have to feel so good?"


	32. A short ray of sun

Warmth was nice. There was absolutely nothing better than the familiar smell of a well-used bed with a thick comforter that you could huddle under and block out as much of the morning light without losing the ability to breathe. If you tried to stretch out and got a cold spot, you just balled up a little more in that lovely cocoon of heat and lost the ability to grasp time.

That's how she spent all night and part of the morning until the need to take care of bodily urges made her get out of bed.

She hadn't wanted to get up. That would require recognizing her surroundings and use precious energy to make her limbs move. It had been so nice to lose track of time, to forget it even existed, and just let the day come upon her. To watch the sun rise from the skylight above her head until it almost directly shone in her eyes.

The quiet in the room was great. Not even when she left the hatch open did the noises below get to her. She managed to ignore them quite easily and drifted back to sleep.

Only when she was forced to climb down the ladder from her bed did she find it was just past ten.

She stared at the red numbers on her alarm for what felt like forever, yet when she blinked, she walked on toward the bathroom and a hot shower as if the time were irrelevant. As if she hadn't skipped a few of her morning classes and the entire world outside the four walls she was waltzing around in.

She showered and left her hair in a towel as she threw on a pair of clothes she left in the closet for the pittance of her dorm space. No one had found her yet and she was glad. She wanted to roam around the place for a bit without having to talk to someone and answer all their questions. Even if she was painfully aware of life passing by outside the living room windows, she was able to keep most of it from her mind as she stared at the place she hadn't visited in months.

The heat of the teacup in her hand was nice against the chill on her bare feet. She stared out at the blue skies of the day, idly wondering how long she could remain here before having to be an adult again and deal with her problems. At some point, she was going to have to email all her professors about her random absences lest she be booted from the school. She only hoped they took pity on her this one time.

She sighed and looked to the steaming liquid. Having to do anything was the last thing she wanted! She wished she had a magical button to stop time for a while so she could properly deal with all of this stuff, but nothing was ever that easy. Life just sucked sometimes and you had to either fall under the weight or learn how to shoulder it and keep walking.

Only when her stomach demanded something did she move away from the windows and break the silence. She refilled the teacup and rummaged through the fridge, finding it no less full than when she was last here. She grabbed a few fruits and what looked like fresh croissants and sat at the table. Chewing was halfhearted and slow. The only reason she kept going was because the food was so good, as it always was, and her stomach wouldn't be appeased with merely an apple.

It was almost eleven thirty when the front door finally opened. She startled as it broke the noise and sense of solitude, cringing away a little when a pair of dark eyes met hers.

"I wondered when you were going to get up. Did you get enough to eat?"

She stared for a few minutes, watching her companion near the table she was still at, before looking to the still empty plate sitting before her. "I'm not too hungry. I did have a little something though... Sorry I didn't clean up yet."

She didn't even get to say she would take care of her things when the plate was whisked away for the sink, the sound of the faucet coming on.

Her mouth gaped open, unable to force out apologies or gratitude for picking up after her yet again. She only watched the short back in silence, wondering how she could ever be such a person and wishing she already had the experience to handle such a tough thing she was still trying to avoid.

When the water shut off, she met dark eyes again, finding them soft and sympathetic as a hand towel was snatched up to be utilized. Not a word was exchanged, not even when her eyes dropped to her cup, or the sound of the stove clicking on again. She watched the tea kettle get filled up again and set on the flame, smelling the aroma of green and lavender tea soon fill up the immediate area. Her cup was taken to be refilled and the pot was soon placed on its metal coaster soon after.

"Thanks mama..." She mumbled, wanting to start crying.

"Want to start at the beginning?" Sabine gently prodded, scooting her chair closer to her own steaming cup.

She lightly fingered the hot porcelain for an eternity, mind suddenly thrown into such chaos that she wanted to head right back up to her old room and hide in bed all over again. Tears fell as the memories assaulted her, leaving her damaged all over again, yet with no answers after the passing of time.

Nothing was left out to Sabine's steady gaze either.

"Why don't you have some of your tea first and calm down, then we can talk." She redirected, noisily sipping her tea to cool it down.

She listened to her mother for a moment before easily copying her. The tea was perfect, as it always was, but it didn't help to calm her down as nostalgia and love flooded her heart. It formed different tears, but ones she let fall without feeling bad.

How she missed this place! She didn't realize it until she was sitting here in the quiet with her mother, having tea at the kitchen table. Her father was probably downstairs handling the front, her mother probably up here on purpose to check up on her.

"How long have you known I was here?" She mumbled, heat coming to her cheeks.

Sabine put the cup down and smiled. "You left some footprints from the front door to the stairs of your room. Even if you had closed the hatch, I would've seen them." Her brow furrowed a little. "Long night?"

She only nodded, drinking more tea to get the lavender to work faster. She could tell from the smell alone that her mother had added a fair amount and it would do its job quick.

Only when her mother was refilling her third cup did she feel able to say anything. Not just because she was waiting for the tea to do its job, but because she had no way to give comprehensive, understandable details which wouldn't leave her mother lost. It took longer to formulate everything than it did to calm down.

When she got started, the book opened up. She went all the way back to the first chapter during the party here with everyone and the comment Adrien had made, which started Nathaniel's suspicions. She slightly glossed over the explosion and the encounter which started this latest problem, lest she start crying from the memories alone. She detailed Adrien's absence in her life over the last few months, but why she was so busy to notice. She finished up with her comment about hanging out with Adrien and Nathaniel's words, which ended up in her hiding and Adrien finding her. Then the kiss. And her worries.

"I don't know what to do now." She concluded, shoulders as low as they could go. She accepted another cup with a thankful nod, relishing the heat it provided. "I always told Nathaniel he had nothing to worry about. He has nothing to worry about. I just...couldn't see it. I never saw it. I just saw him as my friend. He said he planned on staying away, but he's still someone I'd like to be friends with." Teeth bit her lip. "But, I guess that's too stupid to think of at this point, isn't it? Not after that kiss." She harshly swallowed, nervously putting hair behind her ear at the memory which sped her heart up all over again. "He can't be near me," She fingered the glass, "and...I...don't think...I could be around him after last night."

Silence met her from across the table. After a moment, a slurp was her only, immediate answer. She kept her eyes directed on the steam, eventually picking up the cup and slurping it as well.

"I'd like to tell you a story Marinette." Sabine quietly started. "I know you're aware of how I met your father and why I came to France in the first place."

She looked up in confusion at the random change of topic, but nodded. "Grandpa sent you here for cooking lessons for the business."

"My mother was also supportive of the idea because she wanted me to experience what I could of the world. My father thought France had the best restaurants and chefs in the world." Her lips twitched. "They didn't think that Tom would be here though."

Sabine was quiet, stuck in her own little world for a brief second, as decades past flashed across her eyes and then disappeared into the sands of time. "I was only here for a year; more than enough time to learn the basics and head home. They didn't think I'd have such a hard time adjusting to such a radical place that wasn't China...and leaning on your father as much as I did in the beginning."

Sabine smiled, caught in a memory only known to her. "Those first two months were the hardest. I admit I cried quite a bit from the stress of it all. My French wasn't very good and it was hard to communicate. Your father was highly patient with me and gave me the courage to continue when I wanted to return to China before my time was up."

"By the end of ten months, I was stuck. Time was short and I had to return to my family. I knew this trip was a one-time thing and I was torn. I wanted to return to China, to my loving family and help them with their business, but I didn't want to leave Tom. He had become such a big part in my life in such a short time and I admit that I felt something for him even after that short time."

Sabine reached across the table and she took her mother's hand, getting a light squeeze and understanding smile. "I had to make a choice. My family or Tom. I couldn't do both and even though I now have the opportunity to visit them in China, it's not the same. I had to let go of something I always knew for someone I didn't want to give up. I didn't know what to do, but I clearly remember that the thought of leaving Tom filled me with more despair than I had ever known. Though I didn't know him very well, I trusted him with my future and he has never disappointed me."

She harshly swallowed, only managing a nod when her mother squeezed her hand again. She took her fingers back to cradle the cup, finding it colder than it was before and reached for the near empty teapot.

Sabine also went back for her glass. "While I like Nathaniel and think he's a nice boy, I also know that life throws things at you which you have to deal with quickly. You only get one chance sometimes and it's scary when you don't know what the future holds."

Sabine was quiet for a moment as she sipped her tea. "I think Adrien is also a nice boy with a promising future. The two of them are talented, kind, and care for you a great deal. All you've ever known is Nathaniel ever since college. You don't have any experience with men outside of him," Sabine's eyes dropped to her cup, "which has been full of a lot of tears and heartache over the last few years. I see how he loves you, but you have decide when to stop crying. You can only fix your problem or move on past it. I'm sorry that I can't help you anymore than this Marinette. Only you can decide whom you want to be with."

She quickly wiped the tears away, grimly nodding. Her mother was right and she was so thankful she had run to this place to heal. Only here could she step away from everything and get the advice she needed from someone who was mostly outside of the last year. The few times she had brought Nathaniel over for dinner or holiday dinners was all her mother had seen. The even fewer times her mother had seen her this sad was more than enough to show the woman that she wasn't truly happy.

The hard part was this and perhaps this part was exactly what she was trying to avoid. She had been together somehow with Nathaniel for more than four years, somehow, some way. She knew exactly of his feelings and it was one reason why she always felt so bad for turning him around. Even if he said he was okay, she could see in his eyes how much he longed for her during their days apart. One reason she always gave into him whenever they were around.

She gripped the cup as her mind switched to green eyes and blonde hair. Just thinking about that kiss sped her up in ways she was very familiar with, but it slightly unnerved her at the thought of another man making her feel the way Nathaniel always had.

Adrien Agreste. Tall, handsome, blonde, talented, smart, funny, entertaining, and successful at the age of twenty-two. Already in master's school with plans on taking on another one, probably per his father's wishes though. His personality was definitely different from Nathaniel in a more playful and sarcastic way. She didn't know if that difference was what was so curious or the fact that it was nice to chat with him. It was hard to understand how someone like him would like someone like her.

The main thing they had in common was fashion. She wondered if that was the only middle ground for them, but they had never spent enough time together to find out anything else. That lunch was the only thing she could ever pull from her mind. A time spent chatting in fluent Mandarin, something she had only been able to do with her mother and her uncle. Looking back at it now was kind of fun and she somewhat wished for an opportunity to do so, just like he was looking for. It was their own little world in that small table, going on about food they both knew of in lands they had both been to.

She looked to the liquid, swirling it a little. There was more under the surface than she had ever though from those few instances and that might be why she wanted to be his friend. A sense of curiosity of who he was off the magazine pages and what else he could do gripped her somewhere in the back of her mind. Her time with Nathaniel, school, and Lucky Charm were perhaps the only things keeping her from him.

She scowled at the thought of Nathaniel being in the way to Adrien and the implications of it. That should never have been the case, but it was currently the case. Even if she had never wanted Adrien in the way that Nathaniel was going on about, Adrien wanted her in that way...probably for quite some time.

Maybe that's why he was so interested in being her friend? Because of those other feelings for her?

" _I can't. I...I can't be your friend. I tried, but you're too awesome for me to stay so unattached. I just can't..."_

Questions and theories kept filling her mind to the point of aggravation. There were no answers and she wasn't about to knock on Adrien's door and start a conversation about his emotions for her. She would never be able to get the courage to go over there, let alone force the words out!

Nothing was ever going to get figured out because the main detail to figure out the whole issue came from the one person who was absent or she didn't want to see right now. She might be able to make a clearer decision about the whole thing and put a whole bunch of fears and worries to rest, but she wasn't emotionally strong enough to walk up to the two of them over this.

Sabine left her stewing as she cleaned the teapot and her empty cup. When the sink was off and the towel back in her hands, she stared across the short distance, watching the storm brew at the table. "Well," She broke in, "I think I've been up here long enough and Tom might need some help with things downstairs." The towel went back before she leaned against the table, fingers lacing together. "Want to spend the afternoon punching dough and get some tension out of your system? You may feel a little better at least."

She looked to her mother's smile and inviting look. The view of kneading dough until her arms were too tired to move, things she had done years ago, sounded rather inviting and could keep her hidden for just a little longer from everything and everyone. She could focus on the problem at hand, yet wipe her mind clean at such a menial task as baking. She could enjoy the company of her parents and forget this issue for a little longer. She could let herself heal and stay away from everything.

She had no money, no keys, no phone and was wearing clothes out of her old closet. She had no idea as to the situation at her dorm, but oddly enough didn't care. She didn't want to care. She didn't want to know what was going on over there, who was there right now, or the condition of the projects she hadn't touched in a few days.

Lucky Charm had to wait. She could apologize to her customers later when this whole debacle was cleared up, even refund them if necessary. She had to take care of herself first so she could be well enough to make orders later.

Classes would have to wait, too. She'd send an email to her professors later in somewhat detail about her issues and beg forgiveness in their offices for any tests she missed due to personal issues. She wasn't going to be much good in class if all she wanted to do was cry during it.

Her skin tuned into the cup she was still holding and she downed the now-cold liquid. She got up and set the cup in the sink to wash later before turning to her mother. A smile graced her face as she rolled an arm, stretching her neck a little. "I think I could use some exercise for a while, mama. Show me the way to the flour."


	33. A semi vacation

Three days was a long time. Long enough to catch up on sleep; have dinner with family; take on a short-term, part-time job; and ignore all problems as if they didn't exist. It was enough for her to adjust her mood and cheer up with her mother's smiles and her father's hugs. Her father cracked jokes whenever they worked in the kitchen together and was near as a way of showing his concern. Her mother tended to anything she needed, being a silent presence that was more comforting than words could ever do.

The first day was gratitude enough. Not having to sleep in the dorm's bed, but wondering if anyone was there to check up on her, was the only guilty thought she had. The next morning, the thoughts of what she was running from hit the snooze as she rose refreshed and ready to help in the bakery the next morning. The first night of dinner had been so welcomed after a long, hard day's work that she hadn't done for years.

Day two came and she practically jumped out of bed when her mother called her, a serious change from whenever she usually slept in, and helped wash the breakfast dishes. She chatted with her parents and hurried up past them to help open the bakery.

Day two with her father in the back gave her something to ponder that night though.

" _Mama_ _told_ _me_ _a_ _little_ _about_ _when_ _she_ _first_ _came_ _from_ _China_ _and_ _how_ _quickly_ _you_ _two_ _became_ _attached._ _Did_ _you_ _like_ _mom_ _from_ _the_ _beginning?"_

" _I'd_ _say_ _about_ _that._ _Your_ _mother_ _is_ _very_ _talented_ _and_ _amazing,_ _just_ _like_ _you_ _are,_ _Marinette._ _It_ _was_ _hard_ _not_ _to_ _see_ _the_ _qualities_ _in_ _her,_ _as_ _nervous_ _as_ _she_ _was_ _during_ _her_ _initial_ _days_ _here."_

" _How_ _old_ _were_ _you_ _two_ _when_ _this_ _happened?"_

" _Hmm,_ _I_ _think_ _maybe_ _a_ _year_ _or_ _two_ _older_ _than_ _you_ _were._ _I_ _was_ _almost_ _done_ _with_ _culinary_ _school_ _when_ _she_ _entered, so_ _I_ _helped_ _her_ _out._ _Between_ _you_ _and_ _me_ _though,_ _I_ _didn't_ _mind_ _it at all."_

" _Did_ _you_ _want_ _mom_ _to_ _leave_ _anymore_ _than_ _she_ _did?"_

" _Not_ _one_ _bit,_ _but_ _I_ _knew_ _she_ _would_ _be_ _away_ _from_ _family_ _for_ _a_ _long_ _time_ _because_ _of_ _me,_ _so_ _I_ _tried_ _to_ _get_ _her_ _to_ _go_ _back_ _home_ _for_ _the_ _sake_ _of_ _herself_ _and_ _her_ _family._ _She_ _and_ _I_ _had_ _a_ _long_ _talk_ _and_ _in_ _the_ _end,_ _we_ _decided_ _to_ _stay_ _together."_

" _Do_ _you_ _think_ _she_ _regrets_ _not_ _going_ _home?"_

" _I_ _like_ _to_ _think_ _I_ _haven't_ _given_ _her_ _a_ _reason_ _to."_

A very long talk about the future was exactly what she needed to do, as hard as she imagined it was going to be. She had to talk to both of them, except she was just so torn on this!

There was no reason to leave Nathaniel for Adrien, merely because Adrien had confessed his feelings to her. She didn't want to throw someone aside of four years just because he felt something for her. She didn't feel that much back other than basic, physical attraction to him...but leaving Nathaniel meant the arguments and heartache may stop.

May...

She didn't know who Adrien really was, nor did she particularly wish to throw away all her years with Nathaniel for some pretty words and one kiss.

" _I_ _had_ _to_ _make_ _a_ _choice._ _My_ _family_ _or_ _Tom. I had to let go of something I always knew for someone I didn't want to give up."_

Adrien had already mentioned that he didn't want to get in between the two of them, but then he went and kissed her. His actions didn't match up with his words and perhaps that was why she was still so hesitant to fully reject him. He seemed like a decent enough person from the first and second times they'd met; definitely enough of a sneak peek to see about more.

Except, she had a feeling if she went back to him, she'd have to accept more than just his friendship.

There seemed like an all-or nothing issue going on and like her mother said, not knowing what the future had in store for her was frightening. She was still no closer to a decision, but at least on day two, the conversation with her father gave her something to ponder concerning Adrien's side.

Day three however...

"You've had us all worried sick!"

She cringed behind the dough and looked to the exit door. "Keep your voice down. There are customers out there."

"I know, I saw them when I passed."

A frigid glare kept her locked in place, arms crossing. "Nathaniel called everyone he knew, wondering where you had run away to. He thought you were at Nino's or my place, which you apparently weren't, so we had to check with Rose, Mylene, and Juleka to appease Nathaniel's worrying. Which did no good because you weren't even there either." Dark eyes narrowed to slits. "When I finally confronted Adrien, against Nino's suggestions not to, he told me what happened after he found you cowering outside your dorm that night."

A finger whipped out toward her face. "Enough is enough of this! Figure it out already! You've dragged everyone through this long enough and it's time you stop this! Do you know how long I had to hold Nathaniel and listen to his apologies toward you yesterday? Stop putting that boy through the wringer already!"

When she had heard how badly she had hurt him in the past, she always started crying and wanted to rush to his side. This time, she felt bad in a way that felt less compassionate and more like an acquaintance.

Perhaps being away from everyone and everything for the last few days had helped her more than she thought. She didn't even Alya's register the lecture in the same, guilty way. She felt bad, yes, but not as she used to.

Thoughtful blue eyes looked up from the dough she had been idly kneading to meet angry brown. She stared at her friend, watching the face change from upset to insistence when she never said a word. "I think I need to get your opinion on something, Alya."

A brow rose, arms still crossed in annoyance. "My opinion is you go make up with Nathaniel and stop torturing the boy! Now let's get back to the dorm because he's probably still there like he has been the last few nights waiting for you to come home."

She looked to the floor, slightly thankful she had remained here despite the trouble it'd caused. With a sigh, hands wiping flour on her apron, she headed past her friend and went for the front. "Papa, I'm going to wrap the dough so it can rise a little more. I need you to take care of it, okay?"

"Take your time Marinette. I'll get to it when there's a lull."

She nodded and hung the apron on a nearby peg before gesturing to her friend to head up the back staircase with her. She said nothing as they clomped up stairs for the kitchen above. She was silent all the way inside, putting the tea kettle on to boil and getting cups out.

Alya watched the entire thing, suspicions rising. "I don't like this silence from you because it's never a good thing. If you need my opinion about this whole mess that you've created, we shouldn't be up here making tea."

She finished the setup and poured her friend a cup, then herself. She didn't speak until the pot was placed on its holder between them. "I made some lavender-green tea because I think you may want it." She mumbled, slurping the hot liquid. She stared at the steam before bravely pinning her friend down with a solemn gaze. "It's a long story, most of what you know already, so I'll try to make it quick and fill you in on the spots you may not know yet."

It was hard to figure out just what Alya didn't know with as much as she'd told her friend. She went back to the whole last year's worth of arguments and making up; the emotional trouble she'd had and the reasoning behind it; the initial meeting with Adrien; finding out his watching her and their lunch; the recent issues with Nathaniel and why; the argument at New Year's; making up with Nathaniel; finding out Adrien had distanced himself since the beginning of the year; and what happened to send her out into the cold a few nights ago.

"You said he told you what had happened outside the dorm." Her eyes dropped to the teacup. "Did he tell you that he kissed me?"

Silence met her question and she looked up to find shocked brown staring her down.

Her brow rose at that. She figured Adrien would have been honest, but his intention of staying away must have included trying to keep the finer points away from Alya. That or he was worried she'd kill him. Or send Nathaniel on him. Either way, she hoped this helped in her case of confusion.

She went into detail over that conversation before when she fled for her old home. She gave a very good description of her feelings and reactions toward the kiss, despite hardly knowing him. She watched Alya's look of shock turn subdued, as did her temper and irritation.

"The problem I have is this: I have feelings for Nathaniel...but at what point do we stop doing this see-saw of the last year? Is it ever going to stop? I know he loves me, but I have cried more in this last year alone than the entire three years we spent at Sorbonne. There would be no issue if Adrien hadn't kissed me. Had he not done that, I would've still tried to be his friend, but he doesn't want that; he's made that very clear." She nervously fingered the hot ceramic. "I...just...could Adrien make me happy? Happier than I've been since entering grad school? I have no intention of giving it up because of my business, but I may never have the kind of time for Nathaniel that he needs, that I've wanted to give him."

Sad blue looked to her friend. "I've only ever dated Nathaniel. I was too busy in high school because of Lucky Charm and there was no one there who caught my eye. I didn't care. It'd be too hard to let Nathaniel go, but, I feel like there are aspects of my life which we'll never be together on because of what we want to do. Adrien? He's in that same field I want to be in."

Alya heaved a sigh when there was finally a pause and ran a hand through her hair. Her eyes dropped to the glass of tea. "You couldn't have given me anything a little stronger to help me deal with this, could you?" She cracked, feeling a tension headache start. She dropped her glasses on the table to rub her eyes. "You want me to help you figure out if you should break up with Nathaniel permanently and go out with Adrien? Girl...just...why do you do this to me sometimes...?"

She looked to the table, shoulders hunching to her ears. "I'm sorry...I just...I can't make a decision. I've thought and thought about it for days and I don't know why I can't do it. Why can't I do it? It's not like Adrien suddenly matches Nathaniel even though I met him only a few times!" Hands cradled her face. "What is wrong with me?"

Alya sighed again. "We all know how attached you are to Nathaniel and that you two are good together. That's plain as day. The thing I suddenly wonder is, do you still love Nathaniel as much as he loves you? If you did, you may not ever have considered Adrien the way you are right now."

She stared at her friend, astounded that she couldn't answer an immediate "yes". Her brain fried as she tried to comprehend her level of feelings for him and couldn't acquaint the word "love" with his name anymore.

Alya's brows rose when there was no answer. "Okay...I suppose that's a 'no' then. I suppose it's more a question of: do you still feel anything for him?"

She stared for what felt like forever at her friend, unable to say anything on the subject. Her mind wiped itself clean, any feeling that should have been overpowering her was oddly absent. She couldn't say what she felt toward him and was slightly guilty to be unable to speak her emotions.

After all these years, there should be something there. After Sorbonne and now ISC, all the tears, the love, the laughter, the sex, the recent times together, and the upset, she should feel more than the black hole that was widening in her. It swallowed his name and any good intention for him. She simply felt nothing for him in this second and it should have scared her...but it didn't. All that time with him...

She stared hard at the table, unable to come up with any logical reason to go back to her dorm. If Nathaniel was still there, she should go to him and work things out. She always had; history stated she should do it again. He was waiting for her and worried out of his mind! He loved her dearly and she was well aware of this.

Her face went in her hands with a sigh. "I can't say." She mumbled, hardly remembering Alya had spoken to her. "I guess...I guess I don't know anymore..."

Alya propped her chin up on her hands and stared. "Well, I suppose this is progress, even if it's not what you originally thought would be happening here." Her eyes lowered to the cup as she took a gulp for the calming effect she hoped would start soon. "So, time may have run its course and that last year might have done more damage that you ever thought possible with Nathaniel." Alya propped her chin up, tapping a finger against her cheek for a moment as she tried to put the pieces together. "I'm highly aware of Sorbonne from everyone and having seen it myself most times. I know the highs and lows between you two. Sometimes I tried to keep out of it and just tell you two to make up because that was the most logical explanation. You were kind of still going out with him at the time and there had never been anyone else to challenge Nathaniel's standing on any good level."

She snorted. "Not that he ever allowed someone to get near me when he noticed their intentions."

"This is true." Alya heaved a sigh and sat back against the back of the chair. "Well, if you're together with Nathaniel because you've always been with him and that's familiar and comfortable, then I think you need to swing one way or the other and stick with it. Cut him loose forever and go to Adrien if you want, or let Adrien continue to make good on his word and go make up with Nathaniel. There's really no other way about it."

She groaned. "I know that! The issue is: why is this so hard to choose?"

Alya reached for the pot and refilled her cup. "It's easy." She muttered, setting the pot back. "You're comfortable where you are and you barely know Adrien. You're hesitant to choose him because you don't want it to be a fluke and then you lose Nathaniel. Don't think he'd take you back after you finally dump him for good; the boy has put up with too much of your crap already."

She sent a dry look over the table.

"On the other hand, if you DO choose Adrien, there's a whole realm of possibilities with model boy. The rich son of a fashion conglomerate...that's what you want to do and you have a lot to learn if you can sneak in to some of his fashion shoots. He can understand you on a level that none of us ever will. Your job's complexity is so far beyond any of us, except maybe Nino. You can spend your grad years dating Adrien and pretty much do with him what you did with Nathaniel at Sorbonne...if that's what you want."

She propped her chin up and fingered porcelain with a glum stare. "That's the issue too...what is keeping me from making a decision?"

"I don't want to tell you to sneak around Nathaniel to have a one-time date with Adrien because that's not fair to either of them. Do you think talking to Nino might help? He's hung out with Adrien the most. He knows the boy better than you and I do and he can give you more pieces of Adrien's personality that you haven't seen yet."

She stared at the cup, mind whirling for what felt like forever to grasp the invisible answer out of reach. When it hit and the clouds parted, she gave a pitiful cry and dropped her head to the table, wanting nothing to do with the answer that was presented to her.

It was stupid and selfish, but she was going to have to do it. If she was going to make any decision, she needed another puzzle piece. It was going to be embarrassing and she didn't know how she was going to manage words, let alone be in the same room, but she was going to have a frank discussion about her feelings with Adrien and figure out exactly what he felt, too.

How the hell was she going to manage that?!


	34. The worst conversation

No. No, no, no! The last thing she wanted to be doing was hunt down wherever Adrien was and talk about such an embarrassing subject as if she were going to be discussing the weather!

So much no!

She didn't want to go, but she would never be able to move forward if she didn't swallow every uncomfortable feeling plaguing her and go over this with him. As it was, the second after she knew what needed to happen, her palms started sweating and refused to stop. Her heart wouldn't slow down and the old stuttering habit she had reared its ugly head.

How was she supposed to do this?!

It took a lot of coaching and convincing from Alya, not to mention cajoling, in order for her to gather the courage to get off her seat, let along pick up the place as she had left it before leaving. One quick text to Nino, whom Alya told her was also waiting for her location, and they discovered Adrien was heading to a photo shoot in a few hours once his classes were done.

Now or never it seemed...

She wanted to wash that pot forever until every little tea stain was gone and it shone like new. She wanted to remain in the hug her mother gave her and listen to her words of reassurance until evening fell. She wanted to stay on that bus and miss every stop until she reached the other side of Paris.

She certainly wanted to remain on the ground floor of his dorm until the night was over!

Alya remained on the bus at the last stop, forcing her to do this herself. She had to keep telling herself that if she didn't talk to Adrien now, she may give in to Nathaniel's watery green eyes and never get away from any future tears of her own. If she had stopped loving him long ago and never realized it because he was the most familiar thing in her life, she had to confront this and fix everything that she had caused last year. Her inconsistencies had led Nathaniel on, to let him keep thinking that the initial breakup was pointless and to keep hoping. She was the cause of all of this and she had to put an end to it...if that's what she really intended on doing. If she failed again, it would be on her and she would have to bypass any future issues for the current mortification.

Alya gave her the time Adrien would be back before they parted ways. She saw it on the clock by the main entryway and knew she wasn't early. She wanted to be there after he entered his room so he would have no chance of running away should she get there first.

'Okay Marinette...knock. One knock is all it should take. One strike on the door.' Her lips tightened. 'Come on...just do it! How hard can it be? You have to do this! You can't face Nathaniel until you talk to Adrien! You have to do this!'

Her head bowed. She couldn't do this! Her heart was racing too fast and her hands were shaking too much to be used. She wouldn't be able to say anything to him! He might just misconstrue her words and think she was here for...anything else maybe? What would he expect? What would he say back? Would he even agree to talk to her about this?

"This was a bad idea..." She mumbled, face going into her hands. She slouched down over her legs, trying to take calm breaths. "Why did I ever think this would be okay?! I can't do this!"

She shuffled to the wall by his door, thunking her head against it before dropping it onto her knees. She felt like such an idiot for ever trying to attempt an idea so foolish that it was a veritable Russian roulette game. She mentally berated herself over and over, figuring it would just be better to stay with Nathaniel than try anything new with Adrien. She had lost her chance and his hand wouldn't reach out to her in any way anymore.

At least...until his door abruptly swung open.

She jolted with a gasp, feeling the wind he created with the speed it flew from the wall. She froze where she was, mentally praying he wasn't perceptive enough to look down to someone huddling into herself that reached past his knees.

"Marinette! There you are! Thank god you're okay!"

The worry and relief in his voice speared her conscious and guilt was added to the bonfire when he kneeled in front of her and looked her over for possible injury.

She refused to look at him when his hands roughly grabbed her arms and shook her a little. She tried to keep from shivering at his close proximity, wondering if this whole thing was going to be worth it. What if she said the wrong thing? What if he closed off from her forever and she lost him, even as a friend?

"You had me worried sick! You had us all worried out of our minds!"

Her eyes flew open when his arms yanked her to him. She stared down the hall over his shoulder, heart thundering and too taken aback by the sudden embrace to speak. Her face turned red down to her ears and she hoped the blood would leave quickly so she didn't look too horrible when he decided to pull away.

All she could think of was how much his arms covered her back and how small she was compared to him. The flex of muscle in his arms over her back as he squeezed her tightly.

He sighed before mentally shaking himself and pulling away enough to look at her. He took in her features, kicking himself at how she looked before sullenly looking away. "You should go back to Nathaniel. We have nothing to discuss."

She looked to him, finding his gaze averted and full of too many things she couldn't name. "How do you know...I needed to...speak to you?" She mumbled, barely hearing her own voice. She couldn't even feel her legs right now!

His hands slackened and fell to his sides. "Alya told me you were coming over shortly to talk to me about something important." His lips twitched. "Apparently she didn't think you were going to ever approach me, so she sent me a text and told me to keep an ear out for you."

'Damn it, woman!' She cringed away, hands shaking and sweating all over again. Her eyes flew to the floor, darting around it as if trying to dodge the words he had said at the mention of the topic she was drowning in.

He tried to take a few deep breaths, tried to keep his heart steady. He didn't want it to show that her being near had affected him already.

He also didn't want to hypothesize why she looked the way she did either.

He uncomfortably cleared his throat, mentally commanding himself to stand and get away from her, but it didn't work. "Th – there's...nothing to discuss." He quickly looked away, unable to get his feet to hold him upright. He mentally cursed the flush in his face. "You should go back to Nathaniel now and tell him you're okay." His fingers toyed with his jeans. "There's nothing to worry about. Tell him that. Tell him I haven't broken my word...too much. This was another fluke."

She hardly heard his words, but his rejection wasn't helping her to calm down. It kind of hurt for him to push her away, even though she could clearly tell he didn't believe what he was saying. The way he fidgeted, the blush on his face, and the way he remained by her side conveyed something else entirely. He was doing one thing and saying another...just like he had that night.

She exhaled a shaky breath, trying to muster every ounce of courage, and inched her hand across the short space to lightly touch his. "We...we need...to talk..." She mumbled, harshly swallowing.

He knew she was uncomfortable, but to know her hands were shaking this much took him aback and got him to look at her again. Her face was red and she looked like she wanted to leave, but she was also meeting his gaze with utmost seriousness. He blinked, mouth opening without words.

She took another shaky, deep breath, not caring so much he heard. Her eyes fell away for the cold floor they were still sitting on. "We need to talk. We have to talk. I have to talk to you. I need to talk to you. It's really important."

"We shouldn't..." Time stopped as he tried to pick his brain up, too affected by her. "No."

She suddenly scooted closer, fearing he would get up and slam the door on her. She gripped his hand, eyes searching his face. "We have to. I..." Her eyes lowered, but she forced them to keep looking at him. "I need answers. Only you can give them to me. I can't do anything until I talk to you."

His head was whirling with the clues she was giving him and some sense of hope jumped the gun. He wanted to read too much into what she was telling him. He hoped, yet tried to maintain a sense of distance at the same time, lest it dissolve everything he cast away months ago. He didn't want to feel like a complete idiot for wasting so much time when he could have rewrote a story much better than a heart-wrenching drama.

She scooted forward until her knees touched his and she couldn't go any further. Her hand squeezed his, leaning forward. "Please. I've thought about it for three days now and I realized you're the next step. I have to talk to you so I can do this."

He needed her to stop talking because she kept putting ideas and thoughts into his head that he couldn't get away from. He wanted them so badly and they felt so good, her hand over his felt too good, and he wanted more. He wanted to take her in his arms again and feel just how good she was.

'Stop that!' He chided, trying to keep his adrenaline down.

"We should...get off the floor at least..." He mumbled, turning away as a last ditch effort to maintain his composure. He turned away and stood, dusting off nothing and straightening his clothing to occupy himself. He wasn't going to get himself to calm down, so busying himself was a small penance to his mind.

She scurried to her feet when he didn't offer to help her up and copied him. This was it; this was really going to happen! She shuffled back a step when he turned for the door, opening it and holding it open. She stared at the insides, seeing identical to what she had known for a year, and felt like she was walking into a no-way-out room. Suspense gripped her, excited her, enticed her to move one foot in front of the other and she slowly entered on feet that weren't her own.

The place wasn't anything spectacular, nor was it a pigsty like hers was. It was slightly messy for the few items he had though. There were so few differences to her room in the furniture that she almost thought they were back in her dorm instead of his. The fridge was even on the same side of the room and it disorientated her just enough to forget about him until she heard the door click in its resting spot.

He stopped behind her, mentally asking if she wanted to sit down, but unable to get words out. She didn't face him, but he could see her chest raise a little faster with the speed of her breathing and wondered just how they were going to discuss anything with as thrown around as they were. She must feel as torn on everything as he was, so why were they even doing this?

Why did she have to be here?!

His hand rose and lightly touched a shoulder to get her attention, also getting a jolt and her skin burning where he touched her. The sudden movement excited her and she yelled at herself for allowing herself to get so tossed around. She had to speak here somehow and didn't need to be dirtying the water with anything unnecessary!

His hand dropped awkwardly, eyes going to the floor. He kept feeling like he was on a rollercoaster based off what she kept showing him, both good and bad. Her words made him go up, but when she stepped away, he fell back down at a precarious speed. He needed some semblance of normalcy because he couldn't remember having ever been so clumsy with any girl he had been interested in...was still so interested in.

She shoved her hands in her jeans pockets, clenching nails against her skin to get the pain to jog her from herself. 'Why did I think I could do this?!' Her eyes squeezed shut. 'I'm so stupid! I can't say to him what I need! I can't even be in the same room with him!'

He watched her shrink into herself, much like the second time they had met when he had confessed to watching her. His brain wanted to explode with the similarities that she was showing him and made him wonder if she felt like this all the way back then, when they really didn't know each other. He had thought it was because of his name; now he wasn't so sure. Maybe he just didn't know what to look for, maybe she just wasn't aware of it yet.

His mouth opened countless times as he tried to find the right words to say, but nothing sounding good. "Do you like me, Marinette?" He finally blurted out, mentally cursing that choice to start with.

Her eyes shot up to his, watching his brow furrow and a look of irritation cross his face. Her heart rate spiked, hands shaking so hard she had to take them from her pockets lest they do more damage to her than she needed in that spot. She clenched her fingers together, ending up wringing them in front until he looked at her. She pasted on a smile too slippery to keep, hands whipping behind her back. "W – w – what? L – like...YOU?" She exhaled a shaky breath and inched backward. "I...I...don't...know...I...I..."

She was coming apart at the seams and it only taunted him. He ordered himself to stay where he was, but his heart jumped at her inability to give him a proper answer. The girl he had put on a pedestal so high no other could climb it was giving him a means to hope...whether she knew it or not.

Nathaniel and all their words in the cafe were wiped from his mind as if it had never happened. He lost himself to his emotions and took a step for her, eyes serious. "Because I like you." He quietly continued, barely hearing his own voice. His hand rose, shaking, hovering between them. "A lot actually. It's been...hard...to do what I said I was going to do."

Her eyes jerked from his hand to his eyes to his mouth, to the perfectly formed clothes on his body that made him look like a million Euro. His hair wasn't styled, but it was always in the right place, making him look ready for a photo shoot if he needed to head for it.

Oh yea...his photo shoot...

"I have to...talk to you...about that..." She murmured, voice shaking. She shuffled back a step when he took one for her, needing him to stay away if she wanted to keep using her brain. "The time away from Nathaniel...has had me thinking... A – about...him and I...a – and...y – you..."

His jaw clenched, air trapped in his lungs. He floated to her, following her further into the room until her back touched the wall and she had nowhere to go. He stopped in front of her, watching wide eyes look to from the wall to him and back when she bumped into it.

Her hands came out between them in a last ditch effort to keep him away so that she could think. As it was, her emotions barely made standing a possibility with her legs were shaking so much and she feared he could see them.

"What...what about me?" He asked, hardly hearing his own voice over the blood rushing through his ears. His foot crawled closer, his stance widening enough to near her as best it could. He wanted to reach out and clasp her hands with his, seeing them shake in the air. He looked down to them, fascinated with how much they moved. It egged him on, to see what she would do if he got closer.

"I...just...I...you're too close!" She blurted out, hands clutching at her chest. She pushed against the wall, wanting to go through it to escape to anywhere else. Her heart thundered under her hands and her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to take in enough air. "I can't think like this! Move back!"

His lips twitched. His hand floated out again, so close...could almost touch her...

She meant so much to him, and he had been blind and stupid to ignore this. If she wanted to talk to him and it concerned Nathaniel, he could hazard a few guesses as to why she was here. If it was because of something she might feel toward him back, perhaps they could get it all out and she could do whatever it was she planned on doing. As hard as the wait would be for him. As much as he would want more afterward.

It was a risky move. If he pushed too much, she might escape and he would lose this golden opportunity that she was presenting him. If he came on too strong, did too much, she would fly away and he would be stuck with these feelings and ache for her forever.

But, if he could make her ache for him back...

The hand finally connected with the wall next to her head. He looked down at her, watching her tremble and clutch her hands to herself as if she were scared of him...of what he would do. His other hand rose, lightly touching her chin and forcing her face up to his. His head dipped a little, staring at her closed lids. "I don't think that the course of action you were looking for...was talking..." He lowly murmured, voice sexy.

Her eyes flew open, finding his lips so close, his gorgeous eyes so close. The look he gave her froze her to the spot, kept her from blinking as he bent down. She could feel his breath. He kept moving with such agonizing slowness, making her burn with an anticipation that she knew very well. With a heat that scorched her brain of all rational thought.

Her chest heaved out of the corner of his vision and he went by what she was showing him. He couldn't look away from her. He stopped just over her lips, feeling the breath heave out of her, seeing the deepness of blue in her wide eyes. "Do you mind if I kiss you this time?" He murmured, moving her lower lip with his.

The air left her in a whoosh, as did her sanity. His voice was so sexy and low and inviting that she lost it. She pressed against him, lips insistent, driven by the emotions that had been invoked the second she stopped in front of his door...that had probably been hiding there longer than she was aware. She gave him no time to collect his thoughts as she attacked his mouth, hands in his hair. She idly pondered how it could be so soft, his neck so strong. She pulled him against her, kept him tight against her, going by what she was feeling.

How something so new and exciting from someone she barely even knew, who didn't know everything about her, could make her feel like this? He felt so different, but still so good. Good enough to overpower her and draw her in.

His arms went around her, erasing that cold night with something much hotter. Much more intense...much more two-sided. He decimated her shorter height by hoisting her up against his chest, leaving her toes dangling against the cold floor and barely able to keep herself upright.

The burning that created in her at feeling herself brush against him, feeling him all too clearly, blazed the fire into an inferno. When his arm pressed her lower back against his waist, she was all too aware of how turned on he was and idly wondered just how long he'd been like that.

Another part of her also wondered what he looked like.

He could kiss her forever with the talent that small mouth of hers possessed. She was amazing and he wondered what else she could do. She had no faults it seems and he pinned her against him to press himself against her, wanting to feel as much of her as possible...wanting to see as much of her as possible.

He wanted to move, but feared if he did so, he'd jog her from whatever cloud that had covered her senses and she'd pull away. That she'd leave him like this, entirely wanting and frustrated because she found whatever answer she was looking for.

She didn't think it was possible to burn so much for another man outside of Nathaniel. Not even when his name floated through her consciousness did she bat an eye, care for a second, pause and consider her actions. He was easily pushed aside the second Adrien's tongue stroked her lower lip, demanding access.

The term "French kiss" was made from people like her who had the art down past art into total perfection. It made him weak in the knees and it was difficult to keep holding her with as much as he wanted more from her. He wanted to tear those hand-made clothes off her and see everything much closer than the distance he had always been forced to deal with. He wanted to see that lacy bra set up close, feel it with his fingers, take it off with his teeth.

He shivered at the thought, wondering how far he could push his luck...how much he could satiate the emotions he had locked away.

One can only kiss so far before insistence led way to shedding of clothes and a lot of internal satisfaction. The ache racing through her demanded he touch her everywhere, with everything. She didn't have any thought to the ramifications of those actions, didn't seem to care.

Whether she wanted to think about it or not, she found the answer she was looking for.

Despite his earlier words, he was still very much attached to her and any thought of getting together with him would be fine with him. She wouldn't be left with the unknown if she cast Nathaniel aside for Adrien. She didn't know if Adrien wouldn't make her cry, but he was certainly making her feel good right now.

On her side, the kiss they were sharing felt more than amazing. It felt good and she let herself recognize and accept that fact. There was no sense of shame in letting him do these things to her, to do things back to him. She wanted to reciprocate because there was something behind it. She didn't know what she felt for him, but something was there on her end. How long she had developed these budding notions she didn't know. She had never considered him in any real life, let alone like this. She wondered just how much she liked him and exactly when that started.

She wanted to wrap her legs around his waist, inviting him in the easiest way possible. It took hold of her mind, her arms starting to ache from holding onto him like she was, and wanting his mouth on the rest of her body.

A ringing from somewhere in the room jolted the two of them to their senses, as foggy as that still was.

He mentally wished a painful death to whoever was on the other end of the line for taking him away from this. Considering how he was, if it was some kind of responsibility he had to be at very soon, it would take a long time to calm down before he was in any kind of state to leave his room.

She pulled away enough when her brain came back, but was still trapped against his chest. He slid her back down, doing absolutely nothing to help them keep their heads. She tried to find air to breathe in as he stepped away for his desk. She watched him and the hand that shifted the fabric at his waist, feeling her face hot as the sun.

'Natalie. What great timing like always.' His teeth grit as he took a deep breath to make it sound like he hadn't just been taken away from possibly the best make-out session he had been in.

"I'm not late." He mumbled, picking up the call.

"Your father says that rain is in the forecast much sooner than expected and needs you to speed up your arrival time for the outside shots. I just called to let you know that you need to get ready immediately because the driver has already left and will be there depending on traffic."

'Fuck.'

A hand ran through his hair and he looked over his shoulder to the mess nervously twiddling her fingers together behind him. The last thing he wanted to do was go to some pointless photo shoot that was probably going to take more pictures of the same set of clothes he had already been in. Even if it was a new set, he'd rather tell his father to reschedule for a sunnier day so he could spend more time with her.

Even if she was probably going to leave soon anyway had no one called.

"Have the driver text me when he gets to the dorms." He mumbled, cutting the line and tossing the phone back on the desk.

His hands rested heavily on the wood, his arms shaking too much to hold his weight very well, let alone steady him to find the strength to move. His eyes darted down, twitching in his jeans in impatience and utter frustration.

Now pulled from the heat of the moment, paranoia was starting to set in. He wanted to turn to her and keep kissing her, but wondered if she'd let him. He had seriously taken advantage of her discomfort and emotional distress by pushing his luck and being selfish. He kept hold of that little thread though, wanting to think that the kiss meant more than he figured it might. He didn't want to throw everything aside and kick her out just so he could calm down. He didn't want her to leave...ever.

His hands turned to fists as he fought every unnerving emotion assaulting him. She WAS only here to satisfy her own emotions after all and a sense of being used crept forward. His eyes watered a little as any nameable, bad emotion taunted him with "what if's" and that he had no chance.

This right here was what he had also run from. The fear, the expectation, the empty air, the heat of being near her. She was everything and had him all turned around by just being next to her. He couldn't stand to be around her as anything other than his. He refused to let mere friendship be where they stood while he knew she went to bed with Nathaniel. Whether that thought had ever fully made itself known before now, it did well to slap him across the face.

He never moved from the stance over his desk and guilt ate at her. His posture was sad and teeth bit her lip since she was unable to force words out. She looked to the hands she was still fiddling with, trying to think. After a kiss like that, getting the physical and emotional reaction she had, she knew she could go to Adrien with open arms and he'd scoop her up in his. All of his earlier words were lies and he was doing so for her sake...or Nathaniel's. She didn't know what the future had in store for them, but their earlier encounters were positive enough to take a chance. If she wanted to, that was...

And a fairly large part of her wanted to.

It was up to her. She had played both men and she felt horrible for doing so. She had to take a stand and make a decision. She wasn't going to string them along like this and had technically done so for months with Adrien and over a year with Nathaniel.

So...who was it to be...?

She stood there for countless heartbeats in silence, head unable to go with anyone. When she stopped thinking and tried to clear her head, her feet moved by themselves, hand going to lightly rest on Adrien's back.

He turned to look over his shoulder, finding the top of her head meeting him and subdued eyes looking to her hand. She never looked at him and he had the ability to stare at her and wonder for the longest time what was going through her head. He didn't know any words that would do justice or explain what just happened to them, and he didn't want to look foolish by speaking of hope now.

She tried to find the exact words and formulate them just right for the longest time. Her mouth opened and closed so many times when she thought she was ready, but couldn't get anything out. She started getting annoyed with herself, wondering if she was ever going to be able to speak her mind, when her arms went around his waist, wondering if she could convey herself with action instead.

The harrowing emotions that went through him up until the hug allowed him to calm down and appear normal enough so he could turn to her without embarrassment. She never let go of him, but he didn't want her to. He twisted against the desk, somewhat sitting on it, as he hugged her back, tighter than what she gave him. She responded to the strength of his hold, burying her face in his chest. He felt a sense of relief that, even after everything they just did, she wasn't running away from him again. She was embracing him back and his eyes teared at the thought.

" _Let me get this straight. You're_ _complaining_ _that_ _a_ _hot,_ _young_ _French_ _man_ _has_ _been_ _observing_ _you_ _and_ _whatever_ _you've_ _been_ _working_ _on_ _across_ _the_ _way_ _for_ _a_ _long_ _time_ _and_ _might_ _just_ _possibly_ _be_ _interested_ _in_ _you_ _as_ _a_ _person?"_

 _0_

" _Everything he did since he first laid eyes on you spoke of his intentions. A man doesn't watch a woman for an entire year from afar and not have feelings for her."_

0

" _Though I didn't know Tom very well, I trusted him with my future and he has never disappointed me."_

0

" _You don't have any experience with men outside of Nathaniel, which has been full of a lot of tears and heartache over the last year."_

0

" _Well, if you're together with Nathaniel because you've always been with him and that's familiar and comfortable, then I think you need to swing one way or the other and stick with it. I don't want to tell you to sneak around Nathaniel to have a one-time date with Adrien because that's not fair to either of them."_

"I'm going to need to get ready soon..." He murmured, regretfully breaking the silence. She never looked up and he gently pulled her away enough to get her to do so. His heart jumped to his throat, ready to be spoken as he met her eyes with all seriousness. "Did...did you...figure out what you needed? What you need to do... Wh – what...was that?"

She stared at him, finding every uncertain emotion littered across his face. Her eyes teared at finding how quickly she was already causing him pain and grasped his sweater. She tugged on it and he slowly went, his eyes widening a little...showing hope as plain as day.

Her lips touched his in such a light, gentle kiss that made his heart weep and sing at the same time. He pressed against her just as gently, speaking of his emotions he dared let show and praying that they were well taken care of.

She pulled away, watching his lids flutter open. Her hand came up and rested against his skin. She stared into his eyes forever, finding him even more handsome with the depth of his feelings for her to see. "You." She nearly whispered. "I...I...need you." Her eyes quickly darted to his chest. "I know you don't want to be my friend...a – and I accept that. I'm...fine with that."

"What about Nathaniel?"

Her lips tensed as his face went through her mind. His kind smile and how well he knew her. Her jaw clenched, eyes tearing. "I'm...tired of crying..." She mumbled, wanting to bury her face in his chest. Her hands moved to clutch at his clothing, trying to blink back the pain she was going to feel all too soon. "I've been crying for a year now. I've been feeling guilty for a year now. I don't want to do that anymore." She looked away, feeling ashamed of her own words. "It's...selfish. I know it is. I'm running to you and throwing him away." Shy eyes rose to his, finding those green orbs open and soft. "I...just...you..." Her eyes fell again. "Could you...make me happy? Laugh? I want to find out...with you."

He watched her wipe away a tear, but only one. He crushed her against him, mind whirling and feeling way too happy from her words considering she hadn't broken up with Nathaniel yet. His hand dove into her hair and gripped her locks, mouth at the crown of her head. He was unable to say anything for moments as he tried to collect himself.

Hesitation ate away at him before he told himself she was taking a huge chance on him and dumping someone she'd been dating for years to be with him for both their sakes. Screw it and just say it!

"I'd do anything I could to make you happy." He whispered, bringing her face to his. "I'd do anything I could to make you feel amazing." His mouth crashed over hers.

She kissed him back as passionately as he was her, feeling a sense of promise in those two simple statements. They spoke of something exciting and intimate all at the same time. He was proclaiming something based on a few measly hours that they'd shared months ago and she was giving up something long-term to accept it. He was much farther ahead after knowing more of her over the last year than she did of him, but she knew he would help her catch up.

He was taking a chance on her as much as she was on him. It felt oddly good and it clicked in her head as the choice to make. This was what she needed to decide, to know.

The phone on his desk buzzed once and was silent.

"Fuck me..." He muttered around her mouth, regrettably tearing away from her lips. "It had to be now. Damn it."

She giggled and pulled away entirely. The cool air hit her and she found she missed his hold greatly, his kiss even more. "I should let you get going." Her eyes went to the door, a sense of nerves and foreboding coming that made her want to lock herself in his bathroom. That wiped the humor from her face and stole her smile. "There are...things I need to do."

He watched her heave the biggest sigh that spoke of a conversation he didn't want to be there for either. His hand went to her shoulder, brow furrowing in concern. "I won't be much help for you unfortunately." His gaze turned soft, lips tilting. "Just know that, if something happens, you can come here in a second's notice and I'll help you any way I can. Text me or call me. If you leave without your phone again, I'll leave my door unlocked and you can sleep here if there are any issues. Even if there aren't any, you can still come over."

Such an invitation hadn't been there since her undergrad days and she remembered that availability fondly. If there was any issue she had, not wanting to be in her room due to the simple irritation of homework, she could go to him and rely on him whenever she needed to.

His kindness etched itself into her heart and her eyes teared. She tried to blink them away, nodding as the only thing she could do. His hand came up and brushed against her cheek and she turned into it, needing to feel a sense of comfort she wasn't going to get for hours after this.

She had told herself for a long time that anything she had done was her fault. She had created the initial mess by not keeping Nathaniel away like she should have. She was the one to complicate things and now was the time to straighten them out. Now was the time to end it. Only she could do this...he would listen to no one else.

'Okay...time to find a way to break up with him for good...'


	35. The end of it all

The other dorm was a pittance of a walk. It took longer to get down the steps to the grass outside than it did to cross it. It felt like hours since she stopped looking up to her room, still finding the curtains closed.

After today, it wouldn't matter if they were open anymore, would it?

She didn't really want to do this, but every shred of honor and guilt told her to get her weak butt upstairs and face him. She already knew the torrent of emotion that he was going to unload and she should be forced to take it all in. That was her responsibility as the one doing this.

Every step up the stairs was like a door slamming as loud as it could in her ears. Even when the other residents moved around below, they never registered. All she could see was each step ahead, slowly leading her to her dorm and what awaited her.

She finally stopped in front of her door, hearing nothing on the other side, though she knew he was there. Alya's earlier words made her confident in knowing that Nathaniel hadn't left her room as much as possible. Someone must have alerted him by now that she was safe. She wondered if Alya told him that she needed to talk to him, too.

With a deep inhale for courage, mentally steeling herself for the onslaught, her hand grasped the knob and slowly turned it. She didn't get past the threshold when her name came from the insides of her room.

"Marinette?! Is that you?!"

She met him in the short hallway just before the open area that made up her bedroom. His arms immediately went around her, crushing her to him. He pinned her arms, but she hadn't planned on returning the hug had he not. She took in his words with a solemn gaze to her room behind him, feeling like forever had passed since she was last here. She never responded to his apologies and regrets. She let him get it all out, knowing this needed to happen. She needed to know everything, had to hear everything.

He finally pulled away when she never answered, didn't cry, didn't make a move to hug him back. He looked into her eyes, finding them subdued and staring at him with something he had never seen...but sent a shiver up his spine nonetheless.

"Marinette? What's the matter? Are you sick?" His arm went around her shoulders, tugging her to her room. "Come on, I don't know where you've been all this time, but you need to rest. I bet you're tired." He looked her up and down, suddenly realizing she was in a set of clothing he hadn't seen for a long time. "Where did you go?"

She didn't say anything until they stood amongst the mess he had cleaned up and organized. The bolts of cloth weren't on her bed, her knitting stacked nicely. Her mannequin was still where she had left it with the project still unfinished. She looked around, her life and all its responsibilities coming back. There was so much to do, but it felt so far away in this moment. She kind of wanted to turn to it, but she couldn't.

She finally sighed, lightly taking his hands in hers with a gentle squeeze. "Sit down," She wearily began, "I've got a few things to say."

Another shiver stole up his spine with such a force that he almost couldn't move. Every emotion wiped itself away out of fear, though he did as she said. He refused to let go of her hands. He wanted to speak, to ask questions when she remained silent and kept her eyes from his, but he forced patience. Messing up and not thinking clearly had caused the last argument and he didn't want to start something before this was even resolved yet.

"After I ran out the first time, I hid outside in hopes that you'd leave the building so I could come back here and lock the door." He made to speak and she put a hand over his mouth, eyes still downcast. "All I was thinking about was ignoring the problem for the night. I didn't want to deal with it." She paused, wondering if she should say anything about the rest of that night, but decided it was important. "Adrien found me hiding in the bushes and chased me when I ran away from him."

"He -"

Her hand pressed against his mouth harder to keep anymore syllables out. "We fought for a bit and exchanged words. Despite how much he tried to stay away, I kept yelling at him for what he'd done over the last few months. That was my fault. I didn't see anything. I was stupid. He...kissed me."

"I'll kill hmmph!"

"If you're going to keep interrupting me, I'm not going to say another word on the subject." She waited out his glare until he gave a sullen nod. She pulled her hand away and looked to her desk. "I ran away from him, from everyone. I couldn't come up here, Alya and Nino were too far away, the buses weren't running, and I didn't take anything with me. My parent's house was the closest I could run to without getting horrible blisters on my feet or sleeping in some random park."

His eyes immediately went to her feet, finding them with socks and shoes now. It explained the outfit and he was at least happy she went there, knowing she'd be able to get into the building because of the key.

"I needed to get away from here, from everything that had been causing problems for a long time." She sighed. "It gave me the time I needed to think about everything. My mother lent me an ear and gave me some great advice. When Alya found me, I told her what had happened and got some from her also."

He didn't like the look on her face when she gently took his hands in hers and stared at him. It was soft, pitying, sad. Another chill went down his spine and he really wanted to take his hands from hers, as if it would keep her from saying the next set of words he didn't want to hear.

She stared at the warm skin encompassing hers. "This is my fault and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I've been a terrible human being and done too many horrible things." Her lips pressed together, gathering courage. "This is not about who doesn't deserve who here." She met his eyes, feeling hers water. "I'm just...tired of crying, Nathaniel... I've been doing so for the last year. So many times we've argued and have run out on the other. Someone always left the other crying."

Her shoulders drooped. "I've made so many bad decisions and never stuck with my own words. I did that to you and led you on and sorry isn't enough." She looked to the floor. "It's time to end the tears and the arguing. For good. For real this time. I know I said this stuff last year, but I mean it for real. Let's finish this and be done. Let's be over and get on with our lives. Let's both stop crying and thinking sad thoughts.."

He stared at her as the only thing he could do. He couldn't breathe, couldn't blink, couldn't move. He didn't even feel it when her fingers left his as if trying not to break glass. He sat on her bed, knees nearly touching hers, feeling a million miles away from her.

Days passed in the breadth of those few heartbeats before his arms shot out and grasped her shoulders, getting a gasp from her. He shook her, eyes desperate and insistent. "No! I refuse! I'm not going to let you go! I haven't in an entire year! We just started getting better again! You made time for me! We worked on it together!" His fingers tightened around her arms, eyes tearing. "We can work this out too; we've worked out the others before! How is this time any different than the last time?"

Her hands came up and slowly pried his hold free. Her heart thundered in her chest, adrenaline of a different, much less pleasant feeling going through her. Yet, the ability to speak was much easier with Nathaniel than it had been mere moments ago.

As strange as it felt to think that the end was here, she wasn't as scared about it as she had been at her parent's house. The closure felt comforting in a way and she didn't push the feeling away, or deny it.

"This is not just your decision. This is not even partly your decision." She quietly denied, letting him snatch his hands back. "This is what I concluded." She looked to him, his torment of emotions for her and her lack of any back on their faces. "I don't want to cry anymore...I'm tired of it."

"I've cried too and I'm still trying!" He managed, tears falling as if to prove his words. He grabbed her shoulders again, leaning in. "Why are you doing this?! Wasn't the first time enough for you? I don't want to let you go! I love you!"

"...I...don't..."

Had she slapped him across the face or kicked him anywhere more sensitive, he would have hurt much less. Tears poured from his eyes at those two simple words, the stab wound in his heart opening up as the stitching came undone and burned away. There was nothing to hold such a delicate organ together now that she had said something she could never take back. The honesty and earnestness in her face was proof enough that she was serious.

He was barely aware of his grip slackening, his arms falling useless at his sides. No matter how many times he blinked, his vision wouldn't clear from the sheer amount of pain pouring from his eyes. She met his gaze without looking away, strong and clear in her intentions.

She was breaking up with him...for real this time. In all seriousness and not rescinding her words out of any feeling she had. This time was not about for his sake, it was for hers.

"It's...Adrien, isn't it?" Heard himself say. Her eyes widened a little, giving him the only answer he needed.

In a second, he shot to his feet and paced her room, arms flailing about him. She listened to him curse in as many languages as he knew, trying to keep up with the mass amount of German he was spouting. The promises of retribution, the hate, the rage at someone who had merely been a bystander up until a few hours ago.

"I knew it! I fucking knew it!" He nearly yelled, not caring who heard. "I should go over there right now and kick his ass! He deserves to be punched in the face!"

"He's not there." She answered, flinching a little when he whirled on her with that gaze. With fiery green eyes of betrayal and rage.

"You were at his place?!" He strode over and grabbed a wrist, yanking it to him and getting her pained gaze. "You were just there?! With him?! This is why you're breaking up with me?! Because you slept with him?"

"I've done no such thing!" She hotly retorted, shooting to her feet. She left her wrist in his hold until he squeezed too hard and then yanked it back. "I went there to talk to him, to see what he felt...and myself too. I wanted to make sure."

"This...you...you're a fucking piece of work." He spat out, eyes cold. "You're breaking up with me and running to Adrien Agreste. How convenient for you. Luckily, we know model boy will gladly accept you in my place and you don't seem to care one way or another."

"I'm done with this!" Her arms flailed, eyes tearing, heart breaking a little. Every beautiful moment they had once shared was screaming in agony, any future of knowing the other dissolving into dust. Though, she was too selfish to think she could ever speak with him about anything after this. "I've argued with you over the same thing for the last year! There's always something! It never ends! We're always crying over each other! I'm sick of it! I can't take this anymore!"

"And how do you know that you won't have the same thing happen with model boy?"

"I don't!" She ignored his glare for her truthfulness. "This is not just about me 'running to Adrien' and breaking up with you. The time away from you, from here, from everything that revolves around us, gave me time to think. I don't love you anymore. I still share my life with you because it's all I know. I don't know anything else; we've always been together."

Her shoulders slumped, anger leaving her. "I wanted it to be like Sorbonne, but it never will. Life has moved past us and I didn't want to accept it. I tried to ignore it for as long as possible, but I can't anymore! I've made it clear in so many ways that I don't have time for you because of Lucky Charm and I've tried to tell you that so many times. You're the one who ignored it and kept the torch! I've tried to tell you to go out with someone else who can give you time and not make you feel like you're standing there for no reason. We're both to blame in this, so let's just agree to part ways and leave it at that."

He stared at her. "So many convenient excuses..."

He looked around her room, a place he had been to and done so much in. It had been bad, it had been great, and as of late, it was filled with mostly happiness. Now it was going to be filled with pain and contempt.

Knowing he would never come back here again left him emptier than any night he had spent longing for her. He would never see her beautiful blue eyes, hold her thin body against his, hear her moan his name as he touched her where she liked. He would never be able to be near her without wondering what Adrien had done to her...what she had done back to him. It made him sick to think about it.

All of those paintings that used to get him through so many lonely nights, he knew he'd burn to ash and wish to never see them...not even years in the future. Not even if he locked them away and looked at them after this was far past him would he want to keep them.

She meant everything to him and now she was nothing to him. She was stealing that back; all the years in school together, all the laughter and adventures. The days of sleeping in during rainy and cold weather, of skipping school and fooling their professors. Of painting beautiful works together and using each other as the model for their work. She was erasing herself and leaving him, yet again, with nothing but her memory to keep him company; this time driving him mad in a way that was incurable.

He felt he must have stood there for the longest time, locked in his own head and the years he had spent with her. He suddenly wished he could transport himself back to the past so he didn't know what their future held, so he could be blissfully ignorant and keep on painting her.

Once the anger subsided a little, he was left only with emptiness and he hated it. There was nothing there to back up anything. He had stood on a pile of memories for the longest time, holding on as best he could for too many months of sorrow and wishful thinking. He took advantage of what he could when he could, hoping she would have changed her mind. In the end, she stuck with the decision she had made, but had been too guilty to keep to.

She stared at him for the longest time, watching every possible emotion play across his face. She knew such things were to be expected, as she had gone through them as well. It was only when everything bled from his features, turning white and empty, that he moved. He said nothing to her, didn't bother to look her way. He grabbed his coat off the desk, slipped into his shoes, and threw the door open. It slammed closed behind him and quiet took up the space he had once been in.

She slid to the floor, barely catching herself at the black hole he had been on his way out. He stole the last of her strength and she stared at the cold tiles, wondering how she ever did it and knowing he wouldn't be back. Judging by his reactions alone, he wouldn't try again.

" _Don't think he'd take you back after you finally dump him for good; the boy has put up with too much of your crap already."_

She had nailed the coffin closed at last and now felt she was watching it sink into the ground to be buried and rot into the sands of time. All of their memories together were in that little wooden box, dirt getting thrown on everything as the seconds passed and no one made a move for the other. By now he was probably to the ground level if he walked fast enough.

She sat on the floor, feeling outside of herself with a sense of closure she had never known. It brought little comfort and definitely kept the smile off her face. She had no desire to get off the cold, too numb to feel the chill anyway.

An all-too familiar jingle from her phone above slightly brought her from herself after a while to look up at the direction it was in. She stared in its direction long after the quiet returned, wondering what the point was in getting up to answer it.

She couldn't remember where she'd left it, but knowing Nathaniel, he probably would have put it in an obvious spot for her to find later. Sighing at her thoughts, she slowly stood and found the screen with a text staring back at her. She looked at it for a long time, only picking it up when the screen finally went black.

 _How are things going?_

She stared at his name, wanting him to be done with his shoot now so she could run to him and let him hold her...help put some kind of emotion back into her body. She wanted to touch his face to regain some semblance of warmth and sensation in her fingers. Teeth bit her lip as she pressed on the box to start typing.

 _It's done. It's over. He's gone. He won't come back. I know he won't._

 _I'm sorry that I'm still not at my dorm right now to help you. Are you planning on staying up late tonight?_

There was an offer there and part of her wanted to accept whatever it was that he had yet to invite. But, she also wanted to just go to sleep and avoid the world for just one more day. The thought of doing so in her own bed, a place she had shared so much with Nathaniel, made her nose crinkle a little.

 _I kind of want to sleep, but I don't. I'm just...exhausted. I suppose that's normal. It's been one hell of a week after all. I've got so much to do, but I don't want to do it yet._

 _I was going to offer a massage to help relax you, but perhaps you can just take refuge in my room if you don't want to sleep in yours. I won't do anything to you that you don't want. I'll try to be quiet and not wake you._

She managed a small, brief smile at his thoughtfulness. She slumped into her desk chair, weight of the phone forgotten in her hand as she looked around her room. To know that Nathaniel had been here for the last few nights waiting for her wouldn't leave her. It would probably take a long time to jog herself and not feel strange being in her own room without some memory of him popping up and making her question her decision.

 _I think I may take you up on your offer. I don't think it's a good idea that I sleep in my own room, at least for tonight. Too many memories._

 _I understand. I don't know how much longer he's going to take, but I can try to get as many photos done and claim exhaustion so I can make it back sooner._

 _If you wake me up, I won't be mad at you._

She said her goodbyes and put the phone on her desk...eyes suddenly widening.

Nathaniel's wallet was sitting next to her sewing machine.

He must not have been aware of it before he stormed out. Maybe he thought it was in his coat. Maybe he didn't care, just like she hadn't when she left the last time. Either way, he was going to have to come get it somehow because all of his information was in there.

Hands covered her face and more than ever, she needed to get out of here. She didn't know what she'd do if he came back tonight, but she couldn't just leave it in the hallway for anyone to steal his money. She owed it to him to guard it until he felt up to getting it back.

If he even wanted it back...

She sighed and turned from the desk, leaving the last problem where it rested. She yawned and realized how tired she was now that she had time to recognize it. Quickly changing into warm sleepwear, nerves waking up just a bit, she got as ready as possible to take up a bed that wasn't her own...wondering if anything aside sleep would happen tonight.


	36. A time of healing

Somewhere in the back of her head, she knew it was going to rain tonight. She just wished that it wasn't coming down when she finally decided to head over to his place.

Grabbing an umbrella was fine, but her shoes were still wet, as were her pajama bottoms. She had to splash across the lawn that had no concrete walkway to keep dry with, cursing the soggy socks she took off once she got into his building. She tried to shake out as much water as possible, the last hour or so making her feel like she was tracking in too much water and wanting to stand in the main entrance until everything dripped off her. She didn't want to inconvenience anyone else because of her.

It was something of a comfort to open a door not her own and know it had been left open specifically for her. It made her heart flutter a little, caused the barest of smiles to her face, as she slowly swung the door open and stepped into the blackness.

There was a smell in the room that was just from Adrien having lived there for the last year. She stood there, dripping in his doorway, and taking in the unfamiliar surroundings in the dark. It was hard to see much, even though she knew exactly where the light switch was, and that threw her off-guard. This was not her room, yet it was her room, and it was possibly going to become partly her room for quite some time.

She honestly didn't know what to feel about that right now.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she shuffled past the small entryway and tossed her umbrella in the minuscule shower to let it drip without causing more of a mess. She put both shoes and socks in there as well so they didn't enlarge the puddle on his floor. Doing something she had done dozens of times, she snatched a hand towel from its spot and wiped up the entryway. She left it there for when he came back and had a place to dry his shoes without slipping on the tiles, then headed into the main area.

The regular curtains were gone, replaced with much darker, thicker curtains. She knew what they were and looked away, gripping the pillow she had brought with her. She stood there in the darkness, a crack of light only coming through, too uncomfortable in the newness of it all to be able to move around his room without him here. She knew he'd be okay with it, having invited her to sleep there, but needed to hear the words from him herself.

The sound of rain against his window was nice and it offset the original ambiance for something much more calming. She tuned in an ear and listened, letting it wash over her hearing as it did the earth and cleanse everything. The blackness of the evening, only pierced by a few outside lights here and there, kept her insecurities hidden and allowed her to slowly relax.

The longer she stood there leaning against his desk, pillow snug against her torso, the more sleep crept in and exhaustion reminded her how long of a week it had been. Her face drooped into the edge, smelling her own shampoos and detergents. She let her nose rest against the fabric, breathing in every trace of her for the solidity it provided.

At least until her body sagged just a bit.

She jolted to, shaking her head in attempt to wake up, and looked to the bed a short distance away.

 _You can just take refuge in my room if you don't want to sleep in yours. I won't do anything to you that you don't want._

She trusted his words, even though she knew very well that something may happen because of her or him. That was the only thing she was nervous about, but there was a thread of anticipation that she didn't mind either. Earlier, she had wanted him to do many things to her, all very delicious and enticing as she had known through that kiss. A small part of her didn't really mind, even with as horrible as the timing would have been.

She stared across the space forever, still hearing the rain and wondering if the shoot was over or if he was doing some inside shots. Was his driver taking him back right now? Was he taking the bus? Did he have his own car somewhere? So many things she didn't know about him and she suddenly feared that she had been a complete moron in this whole thing. He was practically a stranger, even if she knew many things about him from the magazines. She had jumped the gun going by base emotion alone before ever taking the time to get to know him and now ended up sleeping in his room. Not like there was anything she could do about it now, but she worried she had been too hasty and being the only one in his room wasn't helping her thought process right now.

Should she go back to her dorm for now? She could send him a text saying she didn't want to head out in the rain, but that was cowardly since she already had. She couldn't start making excuses now or she should stop this and not continue it. She remembered the eyes full of hope and how he held her with such conviction, such strength. His emotions were real and they were strong.

Forcing resolution, she pushed off the desk and went for his mattress.

The school provided beds, but that was an overstatement. They were inexpensive, single-sized mattress that the school could afford and had probably been using for a while. She didn't like her mattress and had added an extra pad to keep some of the springs from poking her while she slept. The second she plopped down on his bed though, she could tell right off that he had done away with the cheap excuse for bedding and had purchased something much better.

She took in the plush, yet firm give, a small smile coming to her. She plopped backward, suddenly realizing he must have spent quite a bit for his three years at school. The comforter was great as well and she quickly shifted to get under it. The bed was obviously cold, but the feel of everything was amazing. She smiled and burrowed underneath it, the odd happiness a basic thing to take her mind off of being in his room by herself. She pulled both legs to her chest, finding where the dip had started forming, and snuggled in it. The sound of rain kept pelting the window, slow and steady.

This place felt so outside her own, previous world and she grasped at the lack of reality she was having. The difference of this new life she was invading took away the earlier pain and brought some feeling back from the void. Laying there in total comfort, now toasty with the help of the comforter, allowed her to feel tired in a way that she had never known. Total emotional breakdown spread out on his bed and took a breather, allowing her to relax as she hadn't been able to in a long time...had probably never known. Once that feeling slid off her and she concentrated on the warmth and the rain outside, weariness clobbered her over the head and she started drifting off.

She was barely aware of light flooding in and a noise however many minutes, or hours, later that it was.

The noise tugged at her consciousness, a sense of curiosity demanding to be appeased. The click, something sounding like metal going against metal as quietly as possible, stopped as soon as it started and was gone. She mentally shrugged it off and snuggled against her pillow a little to find the heat she had lost.

Once the door went back into the frame and the night flooded the room again, it was extremely hard to see. It was the only ability to find if she had actually shown up, but the second he walked into the room and stepped on something which muted his footsteps, he knew she must be here. He never left anything in front of his door and he found she put a towel down for the water. He slid from his loafers, lips twitching at the thought, and unzipped his coat.

He hung everything up as quietly as possible and walked over the cold, but dry, floor for the main room. Darkness kept him from finding her for the longest time. She didn't even look to have set anything anywhere. He almost wondered if she even showed up, feeling slightly disappointed when that thought crossed his head.

Then her breathing finally hit his ears.

He tugged the curtains opened as much as he dared to let in a little more light so he could see her better. He kneeled in front of his bed, eyes having adjusted a little better, and stared at the back of her head. She wasn't using his pillow and she was as close to the wall as she could get so he could get in, too. His lips tilted further, lightly pressing his arms over his mattress. She was trying not to take up his whole bed and it was adorable.

With a smile, heart beating just a little faster, he stood and got ready for bed.

Heading to the bathroom to wash the gel out of his hair found an amusing surprise. He chuckled at seeing all of her things in the shower and put her shoes and socks in the sink, the umbrella joining them. He quickly washed his hair and the makeup off, drying off in the tiny space lest such a thing cause more of a situation than he wanted to deal with right now.

As much as he didn't mind it, he didn't know if she would just yet.

He made sure to shut the light off before he opened his door. He stood in the dark, letting his eyes readjust as he toweled his hair dry. He paused when he thought he heard her shift, getting the fabric out of his way when he definitely heard her move.

"I didn't mean to wake you." He murmured, stopping at the edge of the bed and looking down.

She stared up at him, heart beating much too fast at the thought of him freshly washed from the shower and standing in front of her. About ready to get into his own bed. With her in it.

She harshly swallowed and sat up, barely feeling the loss of temperature. "Your bed is...really comfy..." She mumbled, nerves attacking her. She mentally berated herself for saying that to him. She mentally berated herself for any topic that came into her head to break the silence and awkwardness.

He smiled and sat down, facing her while one hand went back to get his neck. "I know. That's what I spent the thousand Euro for."

She gawked that a bed should cost that much and wondered how many clothes she'd have to make for such a luxury. She looked down, the comforter in her fingers. "Do I want to know how much you paid for the blanket?"

He grinned and pulled it aside to get under it. "Without me sounding like a spoiled rich boy? Probably not."

Her lips twitched past the spike of nerves as he shuffled a little closer and stopped before his hip touched hers. The bed felt like a baby's crib despite it being big enough to hold the two of them somewhat comfortably.

"You got this thing really warm. It's so much better than getting into a cold bed after a nice shower." He mused, shuffling down to his pillow.

She looked down as he rested on his back, arms folded near his chest. He stared at her, merely looking at her and visa versa. She didn't know what to say that wasn't obvious nerves. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew the whole reason she was here, but his presence pushed that aside and made it very easy to forget.

Unable to not do something, she slid down to cover back up and lay facing him. He turned her way and his arm snaked across the top of the blanket to run his fingers through her hair. "I hope I didn't make you wait too long." He murmured, voice just above a whisper.

"Hmm...?" She tried to pry her eyes open from the heavenly sensations he was making. It was putting her to sleep, but it was also relaxing her and keeping her from wondering just what would happen next. "Nope. Not too long..."

He snorted in amusement, still continuing his ministrations. "That's good." He watched her eyes droop closed and try to remain open. She eventually gave in to a yawn and he followed her. "Come here..." He shifted to his back again, an arm opening in invitation.

The nerves came back with the thought of being so close to him, but she shuffled over. She didn't want to hurt his feelings by denying him already. Besides, he said so himself that they didn't have to do anything if she didn't want to. She latched onto his chivalry as his heat mingled with hers. As his arm closed her in to his side.

Her head found his shoulder as his arm settled around her back. One of her hands rested over his chest, the steady thud of his heart nice. His arms were stronger than Nathaniel's and meatier to lean on, which was better than the bony pillow she usually used to use.

The second she made the comparison, she mentally yelled at herself for starting such a thing.

"I'm glad you're with me, Marinette." He whispered, fingers stroking her arm. "I'm sorry that such a thing happened to you. Thank you for giving in to my selfishness though."

She pulled away and looked at him, brow going up. "I thought I was the really selfish one here; not you. I refused to break up with my now ex-boyfriend until I knew that I felt something, and I knew of your emotions. I came here and pretty much made out with you for my own benefit when I was still going out with him. I don't know how you're any worse than that."

His head turned to look at her, hand shifting to cup her face. "I'm also guilty, you know. I kissed you when you were still going out with him and probably put some of those ideas in your head. I gave in to my own feelings for you despite knowing exactly what your situation was. I took advantage to try and get you to react in my favor."

Her lips twitched as she shuffled back to her previous spot against his shoulder. "So we're both horrible people who deserve to be punished."

"Well...misery loves company, right?"

She quietly giggled and lightly slapped his chest. "I don't know who is keeping whom company more right now."

He smiled and returned to stroking her hair. "At any rate, I stand by my word. All of them. Thank you for taking a chance on me."

"The feeling is mutual." She mumbled, eyes closing again. Her hand patted his chest, getting his fingers entwined with hers a second later. "Now is the time for sleep. We'll talk more and do something else in the morning."

"I agree." He yawned, eyes closing. He listened to her breathing even out, felt the slight weight of her against him, the callouses of her fingers barely holding onto his much larger hand. He tried to imprint this bit of happiness as the rain added ambiance, trying to keep awake to enjoy it as much as possible, until his consciousness slipped to the void.


	37. Screams of agony

He had forgotten that rain was in the forecast. It didn't hit immediately, but he was glad when it did. He didn't feel the cold pelt his face, stick his hair to his skin, or his sweater to his body. He needed it to hide the tears on his face that refused to go away, needed it to wash off what had already fallen so he could make space for more.

He wanted to run through it forever. He avoided the buses and busy roads, too broken to be able to walk amongst the more fortunate. He had no way to explain himself and he couldn't even bother to maintain some semblance of normalcy. All he could feel was everything in him dying and the future wiping itself away.

" _I_ _know_ _something_ _still_ _is_ _in_ _there_ _hiding_ _from_ _me._ _But_ _don't_ _think_ _you_ _can_ _let_ _it_ _hide_ _forever._ _I'll_ _catch_ _it_ _and_ _then_ _I_ _won't_ _let_ _go."_

He had been a fool. A hopeful, love-struck fool. He had loved her so completely for the longest time and had blinded himself with his feelings. Everything she had done toward him had given him the clues that things weren't as they had been. The pushing away. The initial breakup. The constant guilt. The timidness after their time in bed together. The tears. The same mistakes time and time again. He had seen them all and ignored them...hoping beyond hope that they could make it.

Now, he was here to face this alone. Alone with just the rain.

The run took a while, but he needed it. He didn't want to head home, but he didn't want to be anywhere around people. All he wanted was to crawl inside a warm blanket with a change of dry clothing and sleep the world away for the next week. He didn't want to go to his job tomorrow, didn't want to face his family, didn't want to worry about what his friends would think. He just wanted it to all go away.

He barely noticed when his surroundings became familiar or when his building came into view. He stared up at it, breath puffing out in the cold from the rain and chest heaving from exhaustion. The extensive run had taxed him and was merciless on his energy reserves. The emotional turmoil that was drowning him with the rain had already been brutal enough. He didn't have the will to open the main door and climb up the stairs to his floor.

What was the point in going upstairs? What was the point in getting on dry clothes and warming up? The cold of the night, the solitude of the street, the pelting rain felt much better than any comfort he would receive. He was too far gone to be able to picked back up now.

Only she could pick him back up and he was bleeding too much for her to effectively stop it.

" _I...don't..."_

To know that she had been with him for the last year alone, factoring nothing else of their time together, and might not have loved him made him feel cheap and used. The rain couldn't come down hard enough to wash his skin clean of every inch of her that it had touched. He wanted to scratch his skin and tear every memory off every part of his body that had connected with her.

It had all been real for him. Every second, whether good or bad. He couldn't get enough of it. The times fluctuated from good to bad and he was aware of that. That was why he kept standing where he was while she did what she needed to do. That's why he believed things would get better in the long run when she finished her responsibilities.

It felt like his very humanity was falling off him as it dripped with the water to the pavement and washed down the sewers. He felt like he was slowly crawling away from himself, hot tears the only thing keeping his face warm. His soul felt empty. Tomorrow didn't exist and it didn't need to.

He stared for what felt like the longest time at his floor, mind empty. He had no reason to move, didn't feel the cold that had gotten past his coat, had soaked his pants, had gotten into his socks. He felt none of it, didn't want to feel any of it. He didn't want to give in to the tourniquet that was emotion.

His eyes eventually gravitated to the closed door, the stairs barely peeking through the dark. He stared at them, hands dangling and dripping at his sides. He only blinked when water got in his eyes, but made no move to clean it out so he could see. What was the point when tomorrow should never come?

He had been so upset and fretted at what he had done this time, worried out of his mind when she never came back for so many days and he had no way of contacting her. He had no answer from anyone and the fear that hit him at her disappearance was like nothing he had ever felt before. He wasn't even that scared when his mother decided to pack him and his sister and move them from Switzerland so many years ago. From a place he had only known, from a father he never saw again.

He felt nothing, but his head was full of her words. The conversation kept him from experiencing feelings that he knew would only torment him. The longing, the love, the lust, the need of her...for her. It was already crushing his chest and he couldn't breathe enough as it was.

" _I'm sick of it! I can't take this anymore!"_

She was tired of him and their relationship. She had given up and gone to greener pastures. It had gone through his brain so many times, but something clicked in his head after the longest time and his knees gave out. He fell heavily to the cobblestone road below, feeling the water try to soak his pants further.

Dead, green eyes stared at the ground, idly watching the water move away. He was unaware of his own body as the chill took away the last ounces of warmth that he produced. His breath fogged as he tried to breathe around the vice trying to break every rib in his chest. The tears still kept coming, almost living entities of their own.

How did he manage anything now? He had gone through the motions primarily because she had been there behind the scenes. It was a way to pass the time until he could paint her again. She had been his muse for so many years and now he had nothing. There was no pain to paint to get it out; the rain had washed it away without his requesting it to.

How he ever got up, let alone climbed the stairs to his home, he couldn't even remember. One foot went in front of the other, those simple body mechanics not listening to him. His mind had shut down out of shock and he huddled in the dark recesses, unable to reach out to live.

He idly heard the water dripping onto the floor, felt the squish of his shoes. His hand finally moved after countless heartbeats, the knob warmer than his own skin. The heat was a small help to jog him outside himself enough to open the door and enter.

The lock clicked too loud in his ears, the silence of his own home another nail against his heart. He had hoped someone would be in the kitchen to come and fuss over him, to get him a towel and worry about how he looked. Even if he had nothing to say, somewhere deep down, it would have been appreciated.

Green idly found the clock on the wall and found it way after dinner. Of course...he had told them to not wait up and eat without him. His sister was probably out doing something and his mother might be in bed if she had the opportunity. She worked hard for them both; he should do all he could not to wake her. It was late and he didn't want to bother either of them.

Grasping at the sense of family, knowing now it was the only thing he had to get by, he walked as quietly as he could over the floor. He left trails in his wake, but mentally promised to clean things up later when he remembered how to use his hands. They still rested at his sides as if exhausted from opening a simple door knob.

The light in his room blinded him and squeezed out a few more tears when his eyes closed. He stood there in the bright, hearing the rain pelt his window nearby, feeling the heat of his room trying to creep into his skin. He stood there for so long, the ding of the clock in the living room chimed the hour and the half past before he felt like giving his legs a rest.

He awkwardly sat on his legs in sopping wet clothing, bangs still plastered to his face, eyes on the floor. He stared at nothing, having nothing to stare at, but still not wanting to close his eyes. He needed something else to take the pictures of her room away from his mind or he would return there and beg for her forgiveness. Would plead with her again after everything they had laid bare.

As always, his bed was raised up off the floor because they had no carpeting anywhere and it was just wood floor. From his spot, he could easily see the large bag containing all of the paintings and drawings that housed her for the nights he was away. As if drawn by some sense of perverse need, he crawled across the floor on hands and knees and reached under the bed.

The black fabric stared back at him, silent and guarding. It kept her face safe for his viewing anytime he wanted it. He didn't really want it, since it would finish ripping up his sanity, but his hand gravitated to the zipper anyway. He watched his fingers fumble with it and slowly move it, exposing her to the light in his room.

Closed sketchpads and full canvases rested there. Part of her face or body was available from behind the other, taunting his need to see her clearly. To die completely and rest in the cold forever.

He reached for the top sketchpad, slowly flipping it open to some random page. Most of the drawings and paintings he had done bared her form to him to look at later. His eyes raked in the breast he had done and the hand touching it. His hand. Touching her. He knew she liked that spot and his charcoal had created the work so he wouldn't forget.

In seconds, half of the page was ripped out before he could think.

He didn't recall having done the deed and tearing history out of his book. He barely heard the noise, saw the rip cut through her body as if trying to destroy her as well. His eyes stared at the other works, not even seeing them, not feeling the page in his hand nor the spine in his other.

Something in his mind snapped and his hand came out again and again, chunks of paper getting thrown to the side as he emptied his sketchpad of her form, not even realizing what he was tearing to pieces. The pad soon lay half in tact at his feet, a mess of the remaining half littered across the floor and soaking up the puddles around him. His breathing had picked up from the slight exertion.

The emotional upheaval from the sound of tearing paper threw him back to himself and all of the emotions which he had numbed himself to. The anger, the brokenness, the betrayal, the knowledge that she would now be another man's. That she would never want to look his way again. That this was all he had of her now.

His hands suddenly swept out with a cry of despair and rage, sweeping the book and pages to anyplace else. His fists came down on the floor, not feeling the pain, but needing it. Every sound of his skin hitting the floorboards met him, the sounds of his sobs drummed out by the other noise.

The total upheaval didn't give him much left for physical movement and soon he lay crumpled in a ball, his hands throbbing. He focused on it as a means of survival, since his heart started bleeding all over again. The tears, which hadn't even abated, started anew at the sight of her nude form in front of him.

And the memory of showing such art to her that night in his room.

His breathing became erratic. It was hard to take in proper air with his chest getting squeezed again. He couldn't find the resolve to uncurl himself though, having no energy left anywhere to prop himself up to sitting and take a proper breath.

He couldn't take this anymore! How many hours had it been? How many more would it be before he could see and not feel like this? Months? Years?

Hands covered his face at the thought of never getting over her. "God...help me..." He mewled, shaking from the cold. He tried to take in deep breaths, taking in too much and started to hyperventilate.

He had been sad over her before. Every day he spent without seeing her face was a bittersweet agony in its own. He had lived in that world for the last year, had resolved to live there with mere vacations to her place. The loneliness and despair etched in his bedroom walls, the smell of paint he used to recreate her in order to placate himself, lived here...taunting him as he returned to it.

" _I've got a few things to say."_

Her voice echoed in his head, his emotions grasping at anything resembling her. He could easily picture her beautiful eyes framed by those bangs and her hair. The sweet smile that crinkled her Asian eyes and made her cuter than a puppy.

" _Nathaniel! Hurry up slow poke!"_

The breath left him in a whoosh. His head jerked up as if she were in his room and his bloodshot eyes could actually see her.

" _Ha ha! What are you doing? We're going to be late for class!"_

Tears poured. How many did he have? He was unaware he even had that much. Nails dug into his skin as his fists trembled from being clenched so tightly.

" _I want to make you feel good...I want to feel you touch me everywhere..."_

His jaw clenched and hurt his teeth. The sound of his own cries echoed in his room, but unable to drown out the history of her voice and every memory she had given him...of what they had made together.

" _Hi. I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I'm going to sit next to you for class, okay?"_

His spine bowed and took him with it. His arms did nothing to help keep him up and he hunched over himself. Hands hit his temple as if to beat her shadow out of his head. His cries refused to stop, hiccups mixing in.

" _You're mine and I wasn't going to let him have you!"_

His arms lashed out, scattering paintings and pads across the floor. Her face greeted him in whatever pose he had put her in. He stared, trying to get his vision to clear to focus, and landed on one of her smiling up at him.

" _I've...been unable to say this...for so many days now... I...I...I l – love...you...Nathaniel..."_

"Liar!" He shouted, hitting the floor again. He shot to his feet, bringing his shoe down over her smiling face and easily putting a hole in it. "Filthy liar! How dare you!"

He swung to the other portraits of her and her beauty. Red overcame his vision and he reached down to throw as many of them against the wall as hard as he could. He got the satisfaction of seeing some of the canvases break, heard the wood frames splinter.

All those precious hours wasted. All that paint, sweat, and tears gone. Useless. He didn't have a need for this anymore and it could burn in hell for all he cared.

Every single canvas was flung across the room, creating the disaster that was his mind and heart. He panted at the activity, eyes swinging around the room as if to verify they had all been mangled and were no longer perfect.

The door opening never registered in his hearing. Neither did the gasp.

"What are you doing, Nathaniel?!"

He turned to his name upon reflex more than anything. He stood there, meeting the horrified gaze staring back at him as the tears still dripped down his face. He stared for the longest time, not saying anything to justify or explain himself to her. He mentally cringed at what she would do after he poured his heart out to her, as he had always done.

"Leave me alone..." He mumbled, eyes going to the floor. Half pages of her face greeted him, but his family in front of him took him out of himself enough to not be quite as affected as he had been seconds ago.

Hands suddenly grasped his skin, warm and dry. His vision swung up to concern and anger, though not all directed at him. He stumbled when she pulled his face closer, taking in every tear track and every bloodshot line around his irises. "I'll kill her." She darkly vowed.

He sighed, face glum as he gently covered her hands with his. "Leave it alone. It's over. We're done."

Her face fell to disbelief, remaining frozen like that as time stopped. He sniffled as her presence stole his tears and he was thankful for that. He stepped back, wiping his face on his coat sleeve, just now realizing it was still on.

She did as well. "You're soaking wet!" Hands fumbled with his coat and helped him out of it. She looked to the puddles all over the floor and amount of wet paper. "Did you come home like this? How long have you been like this?"

"Don't know. Don't really care." He mumbled, looking away.

Hands went to her hips, expression stern. "You take off these wet things and let me get you something dry! Everything, even your boxers!"

He didn't get a word in as she marched past for his dresser, kicking aside broken wood frames and pages. He watched her rummage through his drawer for a new pair of boxers and pajamas. She held them out, back mostly to him, waiting for him to take them.

"Here." She shook them once as if he had refused instead of just not been as fast.

He shook himself and followed her commands, happy to do something that wasn't directly involving Marinette. He peeled off every piece of clothing and tossed it over the rubble, taking everything and dropping them to his bed. He pushed the pieces away so he didn't splinter his feet while getting dressed.

"Are you decent?"

"I have my boxers on." He mumbled, going for the pajama bottoms.

She turned and watched him slip into everything else. He didn't have anything to say, only slightly mortified that he was standing amidst the mess in the middle of his emotional breakdown. When he finished buttoning things up, sister and brother stared across the way at each other.

Her arms finally crossed as the look of anger mounted on her face, taking up residence in a new host after having used him up completely. "I'm still going to kill her. I'm going to take pictures and show the mess to her that she helped create. I'm going to make her take responsibility for all of this!"

He watched her start pacing, hands flailing as she kept switching between German and French. He listened, idly watching her, feeling exhaustion take hold of him now that his tirade was done.

God, he was so tired...

He plopped down on the mattress with a heavy sigh. He had used up everything and needed too many days in order to recharge. To heal his eyes and his hands, which still hurt too much after hitting the floor. His fingers came up and rubbed his eyes, feeling them sting and burn like fire.

The mattress dipped without warning, without a word, and then arms were suddenly around him. His eyes popped open at the awkward angle he was at, his ear next to a slightly fast heartbeat.

His sister sighed, a hand going through his wet hair. "I'll get you a towel in a bit. Finish your cry and then I'll help get you cleaned up the rest of the way."

The arms of his sister were all too known for too many bad memories. Too many instances of being near Marinette in the most delicious of ways and then her leaving him. His gracious sister gave and gave and lent an ear as often as he needed it, but he didn't want her to stay up for his sake this time.

He just wanted to sleep for a while...

" _We knew each other in middle school? Oh yea! I remember you! You did amazing art! Do you still do that? Can I see some of it? I do art too! I also design clothes. How was high school for you wherever you went?"_

He was going to have to pick up the pieces somehow. There wasn't even anything to pick up and he was going to be left struggling and grasping at air while she walked on solid ground far past him. He was going to have to create something from that nothing and build his life with it.

'Marinette...'

The familiar squeeze in his chest was weaker than the rest. His jaw clenched as his eyes burned anew, somehow creating more tears after using up the rest of the water in his body. His hands came up and gripped his sister's arms, pushing himself into her hold.

The sobs were quiet, subdued, weary. He was so tired and felt like he had nothing left to get out, but hidden in the depths was the last remnants of the happy memories and his love for her. Hiding in the shadows, trembling out of fear at his own anger and not wanting to be hurt.

His arms somehow wrapped around her, his cries increasing. He soaked her shirt and clutched at her, mumbling a name he would never need to speak again. He called out to anyone that would listen and demanded why, pleaded why, insisted he get answers. The words fell from him, incoherent and nonstop.

Through it all, the hug never lessened, someone else thankfully holding his body up. Someone else to stroke his hair and let his tears wash them clean. The torrent eventually died down through the strength he leaned on and slowly stopped his tears. His sister said nothing the entire time and he was grateful to her, loved her even more, apologized one more time for getting out more bad emotions on her.

When they finally pulled away, his eyes refused to stay open. They were swollen and hurt and needed rest as much as the rest of his body did. He kept his gaze off hers, staring at the mess he had made with no will to pick it up so he didn't hurt his feet in the morning.

"Feel a bit better?"

The gentle words got his attention. He met her gaze long enough to nod before it fell to the fingers entwining with his.

She gave a motherly smile and patted his hand, bringing it to her mouth in a light kiss. "That's good. I'm glad you feel a little better. It's time you get some sleep."

He nodded, mind too worn out to do more than obey what it was hearing. The bed shifted as she stood and pulled the covers back, kicking away more wood from the bed so she could help get him into bed. She smoothed the blankets out over him, fingers moving the bangs from his eyes with a small smile.

"Get some rest." She quietly coaxed. "I'll be here in the morning to help you pick up and get some food in you."

He nodded, snatching her hand when she moved to stand. "Thank you...for everything. I'm sorry I keep making you see me this way."

She pasted on a smile and sat on next to him on the bed. She leaned down, embracing him as gently as if he were a child. "Don't apologize for anything. None of this is your fault. And you have no need to thank me for being your sister." She sat back and smiled, eyes shining. "I know you'd do the same for me in a heartbeat." She patted the blanket over his chest and stood again. "Now sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

He nodded and turned on his side, out within moments.

She watched the blankets move slowly in time with his breathing and the mothering act dropped. Venom shot from her eyes, anger lacing her veins. She watched her poor brother sleep as deep as she had ever seen him.

After moments, she looked to the floor and small footholds she had. The place was a mess and he destroyed something he had once found so precious. She wanted to scream in his place and hit the one responsible, to slap her as much as she could until she personally felt better.

He wanted her to leave things alone, but she couldn't. Such similar scenarios had played out for too long and she had seen too many of them. She was more than irritated that such things had gone on so long; feeling helpless to make him see what Marinette had done.

Her precious brother, her precious twin. One of the only family members she had that she loved so dearly. They relied on each other in a country none of them were born in, had struggled to survive in the early years after they left everything and everyone behind. It was just the three of them for the longest time and she didn't think there was a family closer than they were.

She went to his coat and rummaged through his pockets, finding his cell phone. She took it in one hand, the coat in the other and went to hang the coat up...but keeping the cell phone for now.

 _Wanna torture yourself more? I wrote this chapter to this: youtube com/watch?v=yz8eZZU9Y6M_


	38. When the shock wears off

_She_ _was_ _wearing_ _her_ _red_ _and_ _black_ _polka-dotted_ _pajamas,_ _but_ _they_ _were_ _too_ _tight_ _to_ _be_ _pajamas._ _They_ _fit_ _more_ _like_ _a_ _body_ _suit._ _It_ _wasn't_ _constrictive_ _to_ _move_ _in_ _though._ _It_ _was_ _comfortable;_ _like_ _she_ _was_ _meant_ _to_ _wear_ _it._

 _There_ _was_ _a_ _cat_ _next_ _to_ _her,_ _standing_ _brave_ _and_ _tall._ _His_ _body_ _was_ _clad_ _in_ _all_ _black, with a_ _pair_ _of_ _green_ _eyes shining behind_ _a_ _mask._ _He_ _was_ _cocky,_ _but_ _he_ _was_ _strong_ _and_ _backed_ _up_ _his_ _words_ _with_ _action._

 _There_ _was_ _someone_ _dressed_ _in_ _an_ _odd_ _suit._ _It_ _was_ _artistic,_ _as_ _if_ _it_ _spoke_ _of_ _the_ _person_ _himself._ _His_ _eyes_ _were_ _angry_ _and_ _hurt._ _He_ _spoke_ _words_ _of_ _rage,_ _of_ _what_ _he_ _had_ _suffered._

 _She_ _had_ _a_ _feeling_ _it_ _was_ _because_ _of_ _her,_ _too._

 _She_ _was_ _indignant_ _at_ _the_ _words_ _said_ _at_ _her._ _Everyone_ _was_ _accusing_ _her_ _of_ _something,_ _of_ _being_ _a_ _horrible_ _person_ _when_ _she_ _wasn't._ _She_ _really_ _wasn't._

 _The_ _three_ _of_ _them_ _fought._ _Her_ _and_ _the_ _cat_ _against_ _the_ _artist._ _They_ _had_ _to_ _make_ _him_ _into_ _a_ _better_ _person,_ _to_ _take_ _something_ _horrible_ _from_ _him_ _that_ _had_ _been_ _festering_ _inside_ _him._ _It_ _had_ _attached_ _itself_ _to_ _him_ _and_ _had_ _made_ _his_ _heart_ _black._

 _He_ _attacked_ _them_ _with_ _his_ _art,_ _drawing_ _things_ _and_ _changing_ _the_ _landscape_ _as_ _if_ _he_ _were_ _in_ _charge_ _of_ _it._ _She_ _had_ _to_ _fight_ _against_ _it_ _in_ _order_ _to_ _get_ _near_ _him_ _and_ _when_ _she_ _did,_ _a_ _pair_ _of_ _wounded_ _green_ _eyes_ _stared_ _back_ _at_ _her._ _Framed_ _by_ _red_ _hair._ _Staring_ _longingly_ _at_ _her._

 _She_ _freed_ _him;_ _turned_ _him_ _good_ _again_ _and_ _erased_ _the_ _evil_ _that_ _had_ _taken_ _over_ _him._ _It_ _was_ _difficult_ _and_ _battle_ _ensued,_ _but_ _she_ _still_ _helped_ _him_ _in_ _the_ _end._ _He_ _was_ _innocent_ _and_ _pure_ _again._ _She_ _was_ _happy._

 _She_ _stood_ _next_ _to_ _the_ _cat,_ _giving_ _him_ _a_ _fist_ _bump_ _for_ _a_ _job_ _well_ _done_ _in_ _the_ _fight._ _He_ _had_ _seen_ _danger,_ _had_ _put_ _himself_ _in_ _harms_ _way_ _for_ _her_ _most_ _of_ _the_ _time,_ _and_ _he_ _needed_ _to_ _be_ _rewarded._

 _She_ _received_ _a_ _return_ _fist_ _bump,_ _a_ _smile_ _on_ _the_ _cat's_ _face_ _which_ _reached_ _his_ _green_ _eyes...framed_ _by_ _blond_ _hair._

Her eyes snapped open, the dream still enveloping her and making her head fuzzy. She sat up in and shook her head to clear it, but the feelings she experienced in the dream were still around her, taking hold of her.

Her ladybug pajamas.

The evil that spouted from him which only she could fix.

Green eyes and red hair versus green eyes and blond hair.

There had only ever been two people that she knew of with those physical features. Two people dear to her; very special to her in their own way. Both fighting with her, for her, over her.

Maybe it was the effects of that weird dream that made her eyes water. Maybe it was because she had been in shock the entire time. Maybe it was because she had tried to remain strong for hours and hours, not wanting to show anything in front of either of them.

The dam suddenly broke and hit hard.

She shook, sniffling and tried to mute her cries. The darkness stole her sight, made hearing the quiet pointless. It only allowed her to see the dream Nathaniel's face and how it was twisted in anger, matching the one she cast away. She mentally chanted apologies in her head to him, a feeling of guilt so severe that she didn't know if she would ever recover from it.

Hands remained over her mouth, trying to keep her silent because she was all too aware of where she wasn't. She didn't want him to feel bad that she was crying right now. She had made this mess, but she hadn't dealt with the aftermath just yet. Earlier, it was easy because she wasn't alone. The dream took the last few months and twisted it, altered her emotions, and wouldn't leave her alone.

She huddled into herself, shifting her legs to her chest and burying her mouth in her knees to keep from making noise. Pain rained down from her cheeks, dripping onto the ladybug pajamas she had made. She had made them as a joke after he came up with that whole lucky charm bit. She thought ladybugs were lucky and it seemed the best representation.

Hands came up and beat against her temples. A squeak of pain left.

Everything she had, everything she was, everything she did was because of him. She had done so many things because of him and he had influenced her life in so many ways. Ways she could never undue without changing herself entirely. She would see him everywhere and while he may be able to destroy everything he had created from her, she couldn't do the same.

She would be left to see her business name and know he had suggested making it. She would never be able to sew another company logo on anything without knowing that he had created the final design for her. She wouldn't be able to think up new ideas without remembering all the times they huddled together on her dorm bed with their sketchpads, hashing over ideas just for her benefit.

She didn't want to think she had made a mistake because of so many reasons. She was in another man's bed right now, spending the night with him. She had accepted his feelings and couldn't back down because of a moment's weakness that she knew may fade with time. Also, Nathaniel wouldn't take her back either...but an enlarging part of her didn't want to go back to him anyway.

She had left because of tears, but was too hopeful to think she'd never have to cry them again. She had accustomed them to his name, having never thought that being with or without him made her cry anyway. Now, she didn't know how she was going to stop them.

"Are you okay?"

She jolted, gasping a cry that tried to leave just as a hand lightly touched her back. She quickly sniffled and tried to wipe her face dry, feeling ashamed that she was partially longing over someone she had cast away while sitting next to someone she was supposed to have feelings for instead.

"Y...yea...f – fine..." She stuttered, trying to stabilize her breathing. She mentally cursed her stupidity and tried to put the pieces back together. She didn't want to wake him with this. This was hers to deal with. Her problem...her fault.

He sat up in bed, having heard for the longest time what she had been doing. He was unsure how to proceed since she never made a move to him, didn't reach out in need of comfort. He couldn't take it anymore though and had to intervene. "Hey...come here." His hands found her back in the dark, sliding past her shoulders and tugging her to him.

She went slowly, but didn't launch herself at him. She felt slightly bad to lean on him, even if she wanted him to hold her. She wanted him to take everything away so she could drift off into the blissful nothing with her head on his shoulder.

"It's okay to cry." He whispered, tucking her head under his chin. He felt the tight clutch of her hold on his pajamas and his brow furrowed in concern. One hand came up and stroked part of her hair. He rocked the two of them ever so slightly, letting her cries and mewls pierce his heart and make every protective instinct surge forth. "Go ahead and cry. I'll be here for you. I'll help you."

His kind words weren't helping her to stop what she didn't want to be doing anymore in the first place. She was crying over another man against him and making him witness it all. She felt disgusted with herself.

But she couldn't stop.

He held her gently, the tininess of her body cuddled against his. He felt helpless to do anything else, wishing he could do anything else. She asked for nothing more; merely clutched at him and leaned on him.

He didn't do much, but it was more than enough after a while to calm her. The feel of his fingers through her hair was enough to shut off the tap to her eyes. Her breathing was the last thing to settle down, a few sniffles dying out as she wiped her face dry.

"Feel better?" He murmured, leaving his chin over her head. Sleep tugged at him, but he pointedly ignored it until she was better. He wouldn't forgive himself if he did such a thing before her.

She glumly nodded, hands limply resting near her lap. She couldn't speak for fear of anything starting up again.

"That's good. You needed that I think. Everyone does." His hand came up and wiped at the tears on her face. He gently pushed her away to use his sleeve when his hand wouldn't suffice at taking away the mass amount of tracks. He gently scrubbed under her eyes until he was satisfied everything was dry. "There...not good as new, but maybe better than before."

Her lips tilted as she found his hand in the dark. "Thank you...Thank you."

He smiled gently and felt her lips on the back of his palm. "There's no need for thanks. I wanted to be there for you."

Her lips rested against his hand, smelling him and feeling the softness of his skin. She mentally apologized to him that he had to see that, but that she was grateful he had been there. He had stayed when so many times she was left to cry alone.

Her feelings for him swelled at that simple action, though she mentally chided herself that she get attached to him from that act of being there. She had to take that in stride with everything else she needed to see, not hold him high merely because of that.

His hand slowly turned until the inside of his palm was half cupping her cheek. Her mouth pressed a soft kiss there too, her face pressing against the warmth of his fingers as his thumb stroked her temple. She smiled a little and he felt it, his own forming from hers.

She finally gave into the urge to hug him and squeezed according to the level of her feelings for him. She nuzzled his chest, unable to get words out past the lump in her throat. She forced herself to remain like that lest she give into kissing him like she wanted to. She didn't want things to escalate from there because of emotions which were the from wrong state of mind.

His arm went around her back, lightly patting her when she didn't pull away. "Do you want to lay down?" He quietly suggested after a moment. Her head rapidly shook and a brow went up at the change in behavior. "Is there something else going on?"

"I -"

The rapid intake of breath wasn't lost on him and he suddenly tuned into where her chest was touching his and the speed of her heartbeat. His tongue nervously darted out, his own picking up a little in response.

They sat like that for countless moments, each one tuning into the other and making things worse. He could feel her start to shake, hear her breathing grow shorter, causing his body to react to everything.

It was enticing, delectable to feel, but at length, he couldn't take it anymore. His hands slowly moved and found her arms, gently pushing her away to see the barest traces of her silhouette. He took a shaky breath, feeling her arms tremble as the words he wanted to say got stuck in his throat. His hold on her tightened a little at his own uncertainty.

She couldn't take this. The nerves, the anticipation, the excitement, the unknown. She had never been with anyone else and she worried how she would do, what he would do, how they would do. But, she still wanted it. She wanted him to touch her. Had for hours now and only one person stood in their way. Now, she was able to accept everything he wanted to give her.

Except, he wasn't making a move.

She felt like time erased itself. There wasn't really anything to see in the dark, but she didn't want to turn the lights on. She was scared and it taunted her. She was being teased and aggravated with her own lust.

Maybe he didn't want to do this because she had just broken up with someone and had cried over him in someone else's arms. He was trying to be a gentleman and not take advantage of her emotional upheaval for his sake. The thought was nice, but it did nothing to quell the smoldering embers that could very easily transform into a bonfire.

She looked down, feeling ashamed of herself for wanting something right now. "I – it's...okay..." She stuttered, harshly swallowing. She mentally cursed at how choppy her breathing was. She was only making things worse. "W – we...can just... g – go back...to sleep..."

She wasn't convincing anyone in the slightest, but her tone was laced with something that had his lips moving until he found her forehead. He gently kissed it, leaving his mouth there, smelling her shampoo. He heard her sharp intake of breath, though she made no move to him. "We can go back to sleep if that's what you want." He murmured, voice low and eluding to what he felt.

The level of sexy that pierced the depths of her eardrums had her trembling worse than before. She was in agony with a need that he could fix and a large part of her wanted it. Fingers gripped and fumbled against each other.

It took forever for her to find her voice, to push the words out. She didn't even know how she managed to do it. "I don't. We should. We have to. I...d – don't want you to...th – this is wrong."

Ahhh...there it was.

He pulled away and found her chin, his finger directing her face to his. He could feel her breath hitch and hold, only continuing when he didn't move again. He stopped dangerously close to her, but didn't cross the remaining space. He watched her teeth catch her lower lip and suddenly wanted that to be his. The thought was fairly damaging to his patience.

"It's only wrong if you let it be." His finger slowly moved across her jawbone, feeling her shake as a response. "I'm not going to do something that you don't want...but it seems like you might want this. Do you want it? Do you want me?"

"Yes" mentally went through her head, but she couldn't push words out. She was putty in his hands with just a few words, trapped by a voice that could read out of the phone book and entertain her just as much. Her mouth opened to push words out, only getting a squeak.

He went a snail's pace closer, almost close enough to stick his tongue out and touch her nose. He could see how wide her eyes were, how they darted across his face. She was practically bursting at the seams, a quivering mass residing on the edge of his fingertips. "I'll do what you want me to do to you...but you have to tell me." He breathed, feeling the air leave her mouth. "If you don't want this, we can try to go back to sleep. But, if you do...just tell me and I'll be all yours."

"Y..." She harshly swallowed, trying to command her body to move. Her lips pressed together, yelling at herself for holding back. "Y...yes..."

The fire erupted in him, but he fought for her words. It was hard...so difficult...

"Tell me what you want me to do first..."

How?! Her jaw trembled, every inch of skin sensitized for his fingers. "Kiss...m – me..."

He mouth hopped the last distance, releasing his insistence upon her and quickly getting hers back. His tongue found hers, stroking it and getting a moan. His hand swept past her jaw and pinned her mouth to his, feeling the delicate upturn of her neck as she angled for better leverage. She clutched at his arms, clawing his clothing, her fingers tight around fabric. His arms pressed her to him, feeling her heart race in time with his.

He kissed her until time stopped and the days ended...testing her, teasing her, making her want so much more from him. She finally broke away panting, hands fumbling for anything they could get to. She ran her fingers up his chest, feeling his muscles jump and getting a quick exhale from him.

"Touch me." She pleaded. "Please."

His hands found the buttons on her shirt, trying not to rip them apart in his urgency. He descended on her neck, trying to appease himself as he worked, getting gasps as his reward. He licked a vein, feeling it pulse under his mouth and sucked.

She cried out, head falling back and shoulders shaking. "Y...yes!" She panted, hands shaking. "M...more...more!"

He quickly took the reigns, her demands driving him on. This person he had built up a one-sided relationship, had learned so much about, and had thought so highly of over the last year. He was going to be able to do what he wanted after having been teased so much in the summer months. He could relish every inch of skin for as long as he wanted, for as long as they would last.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him to her when his mouth lowered. Her back arched up, feeling heat agonizingly lick its way down to a breast and latch on. She whimpered, teeth gnashing her lower lip as she breathed his name. She sang his praises, arms going to hold her against the bed an try to steady herself over what he invoked, wanting him to continue.

His hands soon swept the top off her shoulders, letting it pool down at the hands clutching at his blanket. His arm went around her back, feeling the heat radiate off her and idly wondered if she was even cold. His other hand traveled across her skin, past her navel, and found the side of her ribcage. He quickly grasped hold and held her to him in a move so powerful that she gasped from it alone.

His strength was new, but alluring in its own right. She had never felt such dominance put upon her and it tantalized her. She wanted to turn the lights on and see his form for herself. To watch his arms flex as they grabbed hold of her. To touch what she had seen so often in magazines and blushed at in underwear ads. To be turned on in a way she never had.

Something akin to a low growl left him as he lost himself to his own needs, to urgency. He needed more, wanted to feel more from her, but tortured himself with wanting to feel everything. To map out her body in the dark and see what he currently couldn't. His hands were his eyes and he wanted them to see everything. "What do you want me to do to you?" He whispered, voice husky.

Keep talking to her like that would be a good thing!

What air she had been able to take in left her. She grasped at anything she could, clutching it tightly. "T – touch me...please! I can't...can't take it..."

"Where do you want me to touch you? Here?" His tongue ran across her ribs, feeling her press against him. "Here?" He found her navel and stuck his tongue in.

"L – lower..."

He stopped at the waistband of her pants. "What am I supposed to do with these?" He asked, grabbing the ties and snapping them against her.

She jumped, mind leaving her. "Take them off..." She panted. "With...your teeth..."

He had expected his hands, but not that. He winced at the near painful throb he fought at those words, at the image she put in his head. How could he not comply?

He kicked the pillows away to somewhere on the floor and shifted lower, smelling her through her clothes and inhaling. "You smell good..." He murmured, rubbing his nose just above the elastic. "I'm sure you'll help me get these off, right?"

She nodded before her brain told her he couldn't see anything that far away. "Yes..." She licked her lips as his upper teeth briefly scraped across her skin and breathed out a gasp, hips arching as he tugged. She leaned back on her hands, not caring that his face was in her lap and idly wondering if she should direct him there, too.

It was difficult, especially when his torso was pretty much as long as her legs, but he pulled the bottoms down to her thighs and stopped when her knees got in the way. "You'll need to move if you want the rest off."

Her brain snapped. She kneeled in front of him, hands finding his hair and gripping it lightly. "How about...you leave those there...and work on the rest of it..." She breathed, thighs shifting impatiently.

The second his teeth pulled her underwear down, the smell increased. It was nice, it was something he wanted to taste. He decided not to wait for anymore orders and his hands latched onto her hips, tongue out.

She gasped and bucked against his mouth. His nails dug into her skin when she tried to keep moving and forced her to remain where she was. Her grip on his hair tightened tenfold, kneading his scalp as her head fell back.

She quivered and moaned his name as quietly as possible and it was driving him nuts. "You taste good." He breathed, tongue reaching as far down as he could. The angle she was at made things hard to touch everything and he could hear her mewls of frustration from above. "I'm going to move you." He announced, suddenly kneeling and grasping the backs of her knees.

He pulled hard, easily handling her light weight and forcing her onto her back with a cry. She stared up, ready to demand what he was trying to do when the bed shifted again and his mouth fastened around her.

Hands clamped down at anything behind her when his tongue had enough room to enter her. She cried out and begged for more, pleading, demanding, wishing him not to stop. She was barely aware of his hands gripping her thighs or the noises coming from him as he did his work. Somewhere in the back of her head, she could feel the cloth slide over her calves and then the cool air tried to do anything to tame the heat everywhere Her legs trembled and spread wide as she could without a care as to how she looked.

She was telling him exactly what to do to her and it was encouraging as it was sexy. She was hot and tasted sweet and he wanted to touch her so far inside, but he wanted to see how long she could last like this. He wanted to torture her forever just so she kept saying his name like that. Her voice was amazing and the noises she made came straight from some hidden fantasy in the back of his consciousness.

She was getting frantic. She knew the ending was near, knew the feeling, wanted to experience it. Her breathing changed to more static, unable to focus to even taking in anything. He was killing her, bringing her just to the edge, but not enough to jump the cliff in his inexperience with her spots. It was aggravating and her impatience reared its ugly head.

"Faster." She gasped, squirming in his hold. "Suck...yea...that...j – just...like tha – ah!" She jerked, bucking up in his hold and cried out his name as quietly as she could manage. She begged him to go and go and never stop. Her body spasmed and everything washed away the ability to think, only leaving the barest traces of feeling in its place.

He went for as long as he could before he lost himself and pulled back. Her heavy breathing was the last straw. He ached horribly and needed to touch her. To feel her tremble from the inside. "Don't move..." He ordered, standing up and shedding his clothes.

She had half of a second to barely know what was going on, everything gloriously pulsing in her veins, when he leaned over her and then he entered her until their thighs touched.

She cried out again, feeling his weight settle over her, and her arms found his neck. Her legs went around his waist and allowed him to touch surrounding tissue that she wished didn't exist. She wanted him to continue past the wall into everything else.

"God...you feel so good..." He pulled away just barely when her legs restricted his access and her ankles urged him back in. He complied, moving fast and got a gasp from the both of them. He pressed against her, feeling her sweat mingle with his as he moved. His back arched as much as it could while his mouth blindly grasped at anything, sucking on whatever his lips could find.

A hand came up, rubbing a breast and tweaking it, getting more noises from her. They tried to deafen him with as close as her mouth was to his ear. Her nails scraped his back, but he made no move to stop her. Her legs were stronger than they looked and she squeezed his torso, the angle allowing him to become trapped entirely.

He tried to be slow, really he did. Every inch felt amazing and she was so tight. He wanted to go at a snail's pace, but the noises she kept making when he couldn't go in any further made him pull out and in again and again.

He was killing her. She wanted to come again and she was so close. She begged for release again, wanting to feel it from him. "Pl – please...just...a little more..." She mewled, brow arching in frustration.

He sat up and one hand lowered between them, rubbing her and feeling her arch against him. Her legs shook as he kept moving, one hand working on her as the other tried to help hold her up.

Her nails scraped at the bed behind her. "Y – yea! Yes...like that...faster...harder...j – ju...st...AH!"

He complied. Faster. Harder. Feel her entirely. Move as much as you want.

She came and squeezed him so hard he shuddered. He sped up, the noises from her increasing. She tried to move with him in her frenzied state and he lost it.

The feeling took hold of him with such speed that he almost didn't pull out in time. He sat back, one hand cupping in front of himself, the other grabbing and kept moving.

She heard him shudder and gasp, a few moans escaping him. She listened to everything, tongue licking her lips as she felt his skin jump where they still touched. She heard him so clearly in the dark, trying to get her breathing back to normal. Her ears rang a little, body pulsing and throbbing as everything slowly edged back to the recesses.

He sat on the bed, panting and relishing in something he hadn't been able to experience in a long time. Despite doing things to himself over the last year because of her, sex had only been in the corners of his mind with her taking up too much of it. Now, everything blended together and it made everything so much stronger, made his emotions much more needy.

At length, he stood and cleaned up, making sure to put her things in a spot where they wouldn't run into anything in the morning. He fumbled for his clothes and found her top on the floor. He put everything back on and sat near the edge, hearing her breathing and holding her pajamas.

She didn't want to say anything, just wanted to lay there as the cold seeped back in and feel the pleasant fuzziness still in her veins. All she could do right now was concentrate on breathing, on realizing how little air she had pulled in since the start of it. Her lungs were starving and she gulped what she could as slowly as possible, getting her heart to slow down.

"Are you cold?"

"No..." She murmured, feeling a hand touch her leg. Her lips twitched as he lightly ran his fingers over her skin. It wasn't sexual, merely a means of connection. She concentrated on the feeling, not saying a word and letting him do as he wished.

At length, he let loose a deep exhale that spoke of more than satisfaction and lightly dropped her pajamas onto her torso. "I'm getting cold... I'm going to get back under the covers if you want to join me."

She pouted, wanting to lay like that forever. One hand grabbed cloth as she sat up and stared at them in her lap. She needed to clean up too, but all she wanted to do was snuggle against him and fall asleep. Her lips pursed as she weighed what to do, feeling the covers shift as he got under them again.

At length, she tossed her things over the side and got under the comforter with him.

A brow went up when his hand touched skin, expecting cotton. He let her get in her previous spot at his shoulder, legs finding his, and then she was still. "You're not going to wear anything to bed?" He asked.

"Sometimes I don't." She grinned.

"You..." He stared at the ceiling as the thought of a gorgeous, naked woman he had just had amazing sex with was still naked with only his clothes keeping him from feeling her. "You're going to destroy me." He mumbled, hearing her giggle.

The grin was there for a few moments as she heard him sigh. She entwined their legs together and rubbed her head against his shoulder, getting too much pleasure in the discomforting noises he was making.

She was going to kill him. Deliciously. Slowly and with agonizing precision. Whether intentional or not, there was no way he could fall asleep after all that and know she was still available to touch and feel. The only reason he was able to still get any tugs of unconsciousness was because of what usually happens after one has sex.

That, and the clock read almost three in the morning.

"Don't blame me if I end up spooning you from behind." He mumbled, already wanting to do so. It took severe mental chastisement to keep himself from rolling over and pulling her backside against him. Despite seriously wanting to, knowing he could go again, they DID have class in the morning.

Her heart somersaulted a little, lips pressing together. The idea sounded nice, but maybe later.

She didn't say anything, just let out a deep breath of impending relaxation and loss of conscious. Her hand rested on his chest again, getting his fingers threaded through hers seconds later.


	39. Back to the real world

Mornings suck. Especially after a late night of total crappiness followed by getting up at some random hour in the morning because of bad dreams. The last thing anyone wants after finally getting back to sleep in a nice, warm bed is the ear-splitting noise of an alarm clock jolting one awake.

Especially when one of the reasons for the warmth was a young, rich, hot model...with a hard-on.

It didn't register at first. The alarm went on and on and she tried to pull the pillow over her ears, but it was too weighed down for her to move. When she tried to huddle under it instead and press her ear against the mattress, something odd was digging into her butt.

When there was an accompanying, annoyed grunt and the arm tightened around her waist, her eyes popped open.

She stilled, the noise wiping her mind clean so that all she could do was feel him and the part of his torso that she could connect with. Her head was hazy, but she could still remember last night all the way up to sleeping on him a second time.

"Oh god..."

"I know, I know...I'll shut it off..." He mumbled, arm sliding off her and sluggishly sitting up.

She yanked the covers over her torso when the cold reminded her of how stark naked she was. The brush of his fingers over her stomach had her shivering from his touch that went dangerously south before it was gone. She didn't know if it was intentional, but she faced the wall with wide eyes, trying to get them to work as her ears perked up to his footsteps.

Silence followed his hand slapping the alarm off and a quiet clearing of his throat. His eyes strayed to the bed, hand scratching his hair. He looked to the pair of red polka-dotted pajamas mostly on his floor with the leg futilely hanging on the end of the bed. Green finally found the huddled mass under his comforter before he reached for the floor with a yawn.

He plopped onto the mattress without caring if she was awake or asleep and tossed her pajamas near her head. "You may want to get them on." He mumbled, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

This was going to be a long, damned day... Despite the glorious overnight fun, now he had to pay for it.

'Still worth it though...' He mused, lips tilting impishly through half-closed eyes.

Her hand snaked out and pulled the clothing under the covers with her, causing his brow to go up. He stared as she didn't move and leaned over an elbow near her, grin forming. "Are you being shy now, Mademoiselle?"

Her shoulders hunched to her ears, but her head popped out for him to see. "I'm warming up my pjs." She pouted, clutching them to her chest, even though she was covered with his blanket. "They're all cold."

He grinned widened as he stared at her. "I thought you didn't want me to see you naked."

She glowered. "That's not it!"

Her face didn't match her words and he quickly pulled the covers to her feet, getting a shriek of annoyance from her. Her legs scrunched to her chest, pajamas going to her chest. "It's cold!" She retorted, face flaming red. She glared at him, finding him enjoying this way too much. "You..." She growled.

He started going for the buttons on his top as he stood. "You should have worn them last night instead of torturing me. It's not easy to sleep next to a gorgeous, naked woman you know."

She gave him a dry look, even as her eyes fixated on the toned parts of his back. She watched him shuck the bottoms to the ground and realized he had no underwear on. She wanted to look away, but his nude form was like a beacon and she stared at his back as he faced his armoire for his clothes.

At least until he looked her way with a smile.

She startled and buried her face in her clothes. "Go do that in the bathroom!" She shouted, feeling lame.

"It's my room." He mused, hands going for a sweater. "Why should I do that in that glorified mouse hole?" He turned as he put an arm through the knit, flashing everything she had felt hours earlier.

He was antagonizing her on purpose! She peeked up after a second to find his arms crossed and shamelessly standing without anything covering his waist. She eeped and scrunched her eyes, knowing somewhere in the back of her head that she was being stupid. She had already slept with him!

Not to mention part of her wanted to brazenly open her eyes and keep ogling him.

He laughed, planning on moving to the lower drawers for his underwear when she suddenly hopped off the bed and threw her pajamas at him. He caught them with half an arm and when they left his face, she was standing in front of him with a glare and her arms crossed under the perkiest pair of breasts he immediately wanted to play with. Her face was bright red, even if she looked completely unhappy.

"You're incorrigible!" Her eyes narrowed to slits, face heating up more. "Now help me find my underwear."

He wanted to laugh himself silly at the dichotomy she presented, but his body was reacting to how sexy she looked standing naked in his room entirely upset at his behavior. He found his mouth dry when he went to respond and dropped her clothes. He crossed the room in two steps on those stilts called legs and had her pressed against him, front for front.

"I AM incorrigible." He mumbled, fingers toying with the smooth skin on her back. His grin turned roguish, eyes on the breasts pressed against him. "I didn't think you looked this good outside of that frilly underwear of yours..." One hand came up and gripped her chin, drawing her neck up to an almost painful angle. "I really want to throw you back on my bed for five more minutes..."

It was already hard to hear him. The barest traces of morning fuzz and mussed hair were sexy and dangerous. She couldn't believe she had missed this with the lights off! The sweater he had picked out of course fit him perfectly at every angle and wasn't helping either.

The fact that he was nudging the bottom of her stomach with a semi hard-on kept making her shiver.

She wanted to forget the day was upon them and everything that loomed outside that window of his. She wanted to do nothing more than what he was insinuating and mess up his bed even more. She wanted to hide from the real world for as long as possible...but sadly, she had ignored it for too long already. Being in his arms right now was nice, but responsibilities loomed and they had been waiting in line more than patiently.

She didn't want to do it. She wanted to live in this new fantasy with a model who wanted to go out with her. Exploring those possibilities would be amazing. The things they could talk about, the things she could show him and get his opinions on, the shows she could beg him to get her tickets to. A more delicious idea would be that they get dressed and go get some food at a cafe and chat to get to know each other.

Sadly, there was too much to do for that.

It was hard. It really was. He was the black hole she was trying to keep her balance over as her arms flailed to stop her from falling off the ledge. He was tempting...so temping.

She sighed and slowly pushed him away.

"We've...got class..." She mumbled, looking away like she didn't get to finish her mother's cooking. Her head snapped up, eyes wide. "Crap! What time is it? I've got to get clothes! I just wore my pjs here! I don't even have my bra!" Hands covered her face, forehead falling against his chest. "Oh god...I totally didn't plan anything out here! I just came over. I've got so much to do!"

His half smile remained as he listened to her complain about her lack of preparation, eyes checking the clock. "It's only seven-twenty right now. When does your class start?"

She jolted away and whirled for her clothes. "Eight! I need food! Coffee! I won't last for three hours in class without something to eat!" She yanked the pants over her legs, forgetting all about the mysterious whereabouts of her underwear. "Books...I need textbooks!" Fingers fumbled with the buttons, leaving them there when she found she had skipped one. "When was that test? I didn't read the last four chapters...I'm going to be so screwed! How many days was I gone? I need to get all my homework! Shit...I haven't done it for days!"

He quietly got on a pair of boxers and pants as she flew around his room, trying to find her socks before she remembered to check the bathroom and ran in there. He stayed out of the way as she burst from the door, shoes and umbrella in hand. "I guess this means you're going for now...?" He queried, arms loosely crossed over his chest. He rested against his desk, brow arching when she looked his way like she forgot he was still there...in his own room.

Her mouth flopped open, trying to find words as the lists of things to do piled up in her brain. She felt a little panicked and cringed, shrinking back from him a step. "Ah...I...homework. Tests. I don't know where I'm at in the syllabus. I have to go check." She quickly looked to herself. "Ugh, clothes first! And I need to check my food stash." A hand went to her stomach when it woke up enough to make itself known. "Water. I need liquid..."

He sighed a little at her scatterbrain behavior and slowly walked to her as she kept muttering things about class and so many awaiting orders. He put a hand on her shoulder to draw her from her anxiety and gave a reassuring smile. "Go get dressed and snag some food before you head for class. Text me later when you have a spare minute, okay?"

She stared at him and immediately felt guilty. Somewhere in the back of her mind, those words were said in a very similar array with a different voice. She looked down, frown trying to pull her mouth off her face. "I'm...sorry..." She mumbled, fingers toying with each other.

He pulled her into a hug, which she didn't return. "It's okay. It's been a long week for you. I understand. It's okay."

" _I_ _understand_ _how_ _difficult_ _your_ _life_ _is..._ _"_

She abruptly pulled away from his hold and looked at him with wide eyes. They were a beautiful, deep green. The same green she had been well-acquainted with for years.

" _I_ _can't_ _give_ _you...what_ _you_ _need..._ _I_ _don't_ _have...the_ _time._ _"_

" _I understand this. I have for months."_

"I have to go." She quickly blurted out, hands clutching her things. She hurried to the door and somehow threw it open, not stopping enough for a goodbye or promise that she would contact him back.

He stood at a loss, watching the door close and the silence return to the room which had been so lively seconds ago. She was gone and the hole she left was tangible. His arms still felt robbed of her body in them seconds ago and he wondered if she'd come back to apologize for leaving like she did and at least give him a proper farewell.

After it became clear that she was probably in her own building by now, but not wanting to check, he looked around his room and the tousled bedding. Last night, and even up until his alarm rang, felt like a strange dream he had woken from. He almost started questioning if he hadn't kicked the covers around in his sleep; if he had wanted to see her so much that his mind had made up some hopeful scenario about her being his.

He would have questioned himself if it wasn't for a pair of pink, frilly underwear peeking out from behind of his mattress near the headboard.

He burst out into laughter as the only thing he could do at that second. A hand covered his face, head shaking.

She was a huge fireball wrapped up in one little package. She was entertaining, thrilling, gorgeous, talented, sexy, and oddly modest despite what she had him do to her. It made his veins burn when he thought of it and if he didn't have class, he would have let his mind, and hands, wander for a bit.

He looked to the clock, finding another ten minutes had passed and decided he should also get some food to withstand the day. He probably had plans of something model-related and didn't want to be stuck in some photo shoot or be a pin cushion without a full stomach. If he was lucky, he would be able to hear from her this afternoon or tomorrow.

He was betting with the way she tore out of his room, tomorrow was something to expect more.


	40. No time for you

A week. Seven days of almost total silence. Over a hundred hours of solitude in his dorm room and in his bed.

Day two was almost over when he sent her a text, feeling her out. She replied back with apologies and the work load for school that she was behind on, not to mention the amount of orders she had to do. He asked if she wanted any help on her homework, but she denied him...saying it was her fault she was in this mess and that she had to get herself out of it.

He told himself after that book of a text to understand. He knew what it was like to feel swamped with chapters he couldn't get to read because he was doing modeling and being a living mannequin for his father's production crew. Having to do all of that at eleven in the evening, or even midnight, was hell and he didn't want her staying up that late because he wanted to do something with her. He didn't want her up that late because he knew she did it a lot and he was well aware of how hard the next day was with the lack of sleep.

It was only at the end of day four and he heard absolutely nothing that he sent out another text, unable to shake the feeling of being slighted.

She only apologized again for ignoring him, but confessed all sorts of worries about "flunking a test she should have been prepared for and that she was going to fail a class she had paid for with her own hands, thus forcing her to retake it again and graduate later than she wanted...making her ignore everyone even worse when she buckled back down and focused harder on a class she should have passed in the first place".

He thought she was being a little dramatic, but sent reassurance and positive words her way. He told her to take as much time as she needed to get back to normal and if she ever wanted to study somewhere else, his dorm was right across the way.

There was no response to his invite and he didn't know if she even received his text, let alone looked at it.

When the entire week was up, bad things started to creep in. Things that had no place in his head, but snuck in through the dark anyway and took root in his brain, not allowing him to ignore them or make them go away. They were annoying because they were a possibility he had to consider, though he didn't want to.

What if she had changed her mind?

What if it was just a one-night stand and he was a rebound? What if it was just heat they felt and she satisfied that urge? He knew very well what the situation was and perhaps he had hoped too much yet again, had wondered if he had been enough for another amazing person to make time for him. He wanted to believe in her and that she truly was just as busy as her texts read, that all the orders she listed had been waiting her approval and payment for days now.

But the adrenaline and fluttering worry in his heart wouldn't let him alone. Those little thoughts reappeared whenever he looked around to find himself without her. To find no texts back asking how his day was or any inquiry about him at all.

The stink of negativity had him opening his curtains at night. He didn't know what he expected, but it gave him a sense of hope to find her curtains wide open again.

He didn't think he'd watch her as long as he did, be as mesmerized by the constant activity that she was making as she walked around that mannequin, hands busy pinning things together. She never looked his way once, but the silent message hidden in that view said that even though she was busy, she wasn't hiding from him.

Hopefully...

He didn't know how long she stayed up the entire week, but that day he found her working, she kept at it until her usual hours of the night and it had him worried for so many reasons. Her health, how behind she was, how she struggled to catch up, the lack of free time she had, the mass amount of emotion in her texts, and when he was going to get a moment with her.

It had been a week. He missed her voice, missed holding her, missed seeing her...really seeing her. Watching her through his window wasn't good enough. It was too far. He couldn't see her face well, couldn't see her smile. Couldn't put his hands on the curve of her waist and pull her close to hold her.

Hands went through his hair as his heart fluttered through the turmoil he was in all over again.

How did one person do so many things to him? It defied sensibility to be this hung up over her, but, as he watched her and ignored sleep, she wasn't just "a person". She was a catch any man should be scrambling to get after...provided they could handle the solitude and space she required to be as amazing as she was. Her job right now was run only by one person and despite how busy she always was, she seemed to be in no mood to make it a two person business so she could relax.

How much longer did she need in order to get back to where she was before he and Nathaniel started turning her life around? Another week? Half of March? As it was, February was pretty much done and there were only a few days left. His father's show was the last day and then he was a free man until the next season of fashion was upon them.

Maybe she was aware of that? Maybe she had come from all of the emotional hell she was entrenched in for so many days and remembered just what was going on around the two of them?

He almost wanted to go knock on her door and sit on her bed to watch her work instead of sitting at his window and watch her work. He wanted to be close to her, maybe even talk to her if she could do such a thing while she was in the middle of pinning something together. He knew how loud sewing machines could be, so doubted she'd say much then, but right now should be okay.

But he didn't want her to kick him out or give him more apologies and shut the door in his face.

He felt stuck. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. He didn't know what to expect after she just dumped her old boyfriend for him, but "nothing" wasn't it. He had given her plenty of time, tried to be more than patient while she did her thing. She never extended her hand out to him in the slightest, only patted him on his head with those texts and silently begged for more time, more space.

He didn't want to think that she had changed her mind, especially since he got the opportunity to watch her work and saw for himself how bogged down she was. He finally went to bed at one, but her light was still on. She kept working, even when the world slept...when he slept. He wondered if she thought of him but, after seeing how focused she was on that garment, doubted it. It didn't help the stinging sensation in his chest to go away.

He hated himself for his eyes watering at the thought.

01010

 _Do_ _you_ _mind_ _if_ _I_ _come_ _over_ _sometime_ _soon_ _and_ _chat?_ _I_ _need_ _some_ _advice._

 _What's_ _wrong?_ _I'll_ _try_ _to_ _help_ _if_ _I_ _can._

 _Thanks._ _When_ _are_ _you_ _free_ _next?_

 _How_ _about_ _now_ _for_ _the_ _next_ _two_ _hours?_ _Want_ _to_ _meet_ _up_ _somewhere?_

 _Your_ _place?_ _I_ _just_ _want_ _someplace_ _familiar._

 _Sure._

He knocked on the door and less than a minute later, it swung open. He nodded his greeting, not feeling in much of a mood to say anything cheerful, unable to fake what he was feeling.

Nino suddenly embraced him and he reciprocated after a second of shock.

"You don't look happy so I thought you could use that." He mumbled, slowly pulling away with a half smile. "Come on in, man. Anything to drink?"

"I'm fine. Just need an ear is all."

Nino looked his way as he let Adrien into his apartment, brow going up. It must be pretty bad if it had to be said face-to-face instead of on the phone. He didn't judge, trying not to assume anything until Adrien started in.

He plopped down on the couch which was still pulled out into a bed. He grimaced a little and looked across the way. "Sorry if I woke you up. Didn't mean to..."

Nino waved him off. "No biggie, man. You didn't. I woke up about half an hour ago. Just was too lazy to make my bed yet." He grinned.

He nodded and sat with one leg under another. He tried to recall the last time he had been to Nino's and vaguely remembered it wasn't for anything good either. Why was this turning out to be a psychiatrist's joint?

Nino grabbed a glass and poured himself something before sitting on the chair pushed in front of his eating area. He scooted it as close as he could and leaned on the armrest. "So...how's life been? What have you been up to?"

He couldn't look up from the floor. "I...slept with Marinette last week."

He really shouldn't have been drinking at that time, but he didn't think the news would be that! Coughing and spitting promptly occurred in a very stereotypical fashion from such shocking news and it took him a few minutes to get himself back under control. "Sorry...man..." He croaked. "Gimme...a minute..."

Adrien smiled a little at the reaction. He supposed it would have been a given considering that what happened between them occurred after everyone found out her whereabouts and then figured things were all good. Their "discussion" happened after she came to his room that night and then she promptly broke up with Nathaniel. She must not have informed Alya yet, because Alya would have definitely told Nino and this conversation wouldn't be happening right now.

"So..." Nino finally managed, clearing his throat one final time. "Marinette, huh? Wow...just...that's...okay..." A hand promptly tossed his glasses into his lap and ran over his face. "I'm out of the loop and I bet Alya is too or I would've heard of this by now. When did that happen?"

"A week ago."

Nino's mouth dropped open. "Ah...ah...okay. So...you're dating Mar now?"

Adrien's eyes fell to his fiddling hands. "Well...not really. I guess? That's why I came here."

Nino had seen that look before. He had seen it in the beginning at Sorbonne when a certain someone had come to him stumbling and blushing and proclaiming that he liked Marinette and wanted to know more about her. The hesitation was much the same, as was the uncertainty. His eyes narrowed a little in annoyance and he heaved a sigh, hand slowly reaching for his glasses.

It was all he could do to just shake his head and not get out of his seat and find his idiot of a friend who was about ready to ruin a good thing with a great person. She had already put Nathaniel through a small bout of unnecessary hell for the last year alone; he refused to let her do it to Adrien, too.

Nino crossed his legs in the chair and used them to prop his head up, looking like a sage as he stared across the way, eyes fixated on sorrow that was easy to spot. "Tell me what's been going on, man. I think I know why you're here."

Adrien looked up at that, brow raised. He wanted to ask questions as to what Nino had already surmised, but supposed it would get figured out before he left this place.

He took a moment and tried to retrace his steps, trying to remember exactly where everyone left off and just the two of them continued. He questioned Nino on just what he knew and started from there. He reported Alya's text saying that Marinette needed to talk to him and what they ended up doing in his room instead of talking. He detailed his own emotions about the experience, leaving out a few of the juicier scenes, up until she left his room that morning for class. He pulled up her text history and handed it over, watching Nino's eyes dart around as he read the whole thing and talking about it as his friend was busy.

"Part of me wants to barge into her room and demand some time from her, but I get the feeling that she'd get pissed at me and demand me to leave while she's working." He rambled, mimicking Nino's sitting position and propping his head up. "I don't particularly want to mess this up so soon after nothing has started, but I don't want to keep this up. I know she needs to get caught up, but it's been a week. That should be enough time to do all her business work, right? I know how late she's been working because her curtains are unblocked. She's letting me see her again. I don't know if that's intentional or not though."

Nino heaved a sigh and darted his hand out for Adrien to take his phone. "Take this before I throw the damn thing across the room." He nearly growled, feeling air seconds later. He abruptly hopped from the chair and started pacing.

This was too much! This wasn't going to happen again for another year and he would be damned if he let his friend be miserable on another friend's behalf! He wasn't going to put up with this shit for months and let those two make themselves miserable...or let her make Adrien miserable!

"I don't know why you're not more pissed off about this!" He suddenly exclaimed, facing his friend. He watched glum irritation make its way in and he nodded. "Don't hold back, Agreste. You don't deserve this bullshit and she is only going to screw herself in the long run, too." He resumed pacing, hands going through his hair. "Damn it girl, why do you do this? Stop being so dumb!"

He watched Nino pace, feeling somewhat better that he hadn't overreacted to anything and that his feelings were justified. Just watching Nino be way more upset than he had yet to allow himself to be was slightly starting to rile him up. He was absorbing Nino's emotions by just watching him and the feeling of being slighted increased twofold.

Nino suddenly stopped and whipped around for the kitchen counter. He headed behind the small area and rummaged through a few things for a second before it was obvious he was doing something on his phone. Adrien watched him type something, scowling for a moment and resume typing. There was a slight glare sent to his device and a sigh before he tossed the thing on the counter with a clack.

"This is pissing me off. None of us have time to put up with this crap that she pulls and we've been doing so for far too long already." He muttered, walking out of the kitchen area. There was a pause as he nibbled on a nail. "I'm pretty sure she'd be fine if I did this. I don't think she'd yell at me too much..." He muttered to himself. He plopped down on the chair with a huff. "Don't worry about this, Adrien, I'm going to talk to Mar. I'm not going to let her do to you what she did to Nathaniel."

He sat up, eyes going wide. "You don't have to do that!" His hands waved in between them. "I didn't come here for you to intervene, Nino! I just needed someone to listen was all. I didn't want to assume I was being too pushy because of the situation! It's fine...I'm sure she'll be good in the next few days!"

Nino gave him a dry look. "No one is overreacting to anything here." His finger pointed at his friend, pinning him. "You have every right to your feelings. I know I don't always give the best advice sometimes, but this time I'm telling you to get pissed. You should; you have the right. She dumped Nathaniel to go out with you, but she's not. You've been more than patient with her and she's still ignoring you." His hand shot out in Adrien's face. "Ignoring you!" He loudly reiterated, forcing his friend to close his mouth.

He knew Nino was right, but he was starting to feel like a stool pigeon. Now that his emotions had been validated, he felt better enough to at least try knocking on her door and saying "hey" with an invite to go out to get food.

He hoped he didn't just royally screw this up by coming here...

"I'll get this taken care of in the next few days. Don't worry. I'll straighten her out so she realizes what she did and hopefully force her to think a little more past her own nose. She does this sometimes, mostly when it's concerning her business, so it's time she stops this. If she wants a relationship with you, she's got to."

"What makes you think this will fix things?"

Nino gave him another dry look. "Because Alya and I did the same thing before we figured everything out. We went through this, so we know it can be done. Alya is kind of in your shoes and I'm in Mar's. That's why I know you two can make this work despite how busy you two are and how random your schedules are." He suddenly grinned. "She doesn't have a leg to stand on. If she pulls that card on me, I can shoot right back with her and pull Alya into this. I doubt she'd mind." A finger went across his stubble for a quiet moment. "No...I'm sure she won't mind. She's kind of sick of constantly hearing about the same thing, too."

He stared at his friend, knowing this would somehow get taken care of, but scared he had overstepped everything without taking dealing with it himself. "I'm really thankful that you want to help Nino...but...could I maybe try this on my own this time? I've gone through you guys for things in the past already and I feel bad for making you step up when I should be doing so now."

Nino sat back in his chair with a small sigh, staring at his friend. He took in the uncertainty, the guilt, and the request. He wanted to help his friend because he could surmise what was going to happen if he or Alya didn't intervene. He wanted to help...but he also respected Adrien a lot.

"Alright, Agreste..." He mumbled, sitting back. "I'll give you one try. If you fail, we're going to step in."

01010

It sounded like a threat, really it did. He didn't want Nino to get involved mainly because it wasn't their role to step between his issue with Marinette. Not anymore at least. He didn't want her coming to him because he had thrown Nino into the line of fire before him. He had already done that once back in the beginning and he wanted to learn from the mistake. He was something resembling a boyfriend and despite going to Nino to feel better, and perhaps get advice on a person he didn't know everything about, he hadn't wanted Nino to intervene in this.

That didn't make him any less hesitant when he was knocking on her door, knowing exactly that she was inside at this hour of the afternoon.

Classes had been done for hours and he knew from checking his window that she was inside and working. It was silent which meant her sewing machine wasn't in use at least. This meant even if she was still doing seamstress stuff, he could sit and hopefully talk to her.

Hopefully.

The rap was sharp and made him jump in the quiet. He cleared his throat and mentally chided his stupidity when the door threw open.

"Adrien?"

He stared down at wide eyes. She didn't expect him to show up and he could see it all over her face. The difference was...there was no pleasant surprise anywhere to be found.

"Ah..." He cleared his throat and pasted on a smile to lighten the mood. "How's the week been? Have you caught up yet? I just stopped by to see if you wanted to go get something to eat. I don't have anything to do right now, but I've got some stuff for father until March, so I thought I'd take advantage of my free hours."

"Ah..." She mumbled, looking down. "Now is...kinda...busy..."

"Are you working on homework?"

Her head shook. "I've been deep in pins and fabric for the last hour and I'm nowhere near being done. I need to get it finished by tonight so I can get it and the other projects out in the mail tomorrow asap."

Part of him expected to get shot down. Part of him expected her to be happy to see him. Part of him still wondered if he was wasting his time and should have cut his losses. A tiny part of him wondered if she would even let him sit on her bed and watch him work.

"Oh..." He merely mumbled, unable to think of anything else. "Are you still swamped with homework? Is that it? Need any help?"

Her head shook again. "I finished that yesterday evening." Her mouth suddenly pursed. "Well...I guess it was about two this morning technically. I've been trying to work on orders since then. I've got four more that were requested two days ago and I accepted payment on them, so I'm trying to get them done."

His brow furrowed. "How many more do you have to do?"

Her mouth scrunched up in thought. "Just those four products to make. A skirt, a pair of summer arm guards, and two different blouses."

He didn't know about seams and sewing, but he did know that most of those didn't seem that difficult.

He pasted on a smile and plopped a hand on her shoulder. "Why not take a break and get some food then?" He gently prodded. "You're a master at your job, so I just know you can get caught up in no time. I'm sure your customers understand after all the...trouble you've been through."

She slowly took his hand and held it with hers. "I'm sorry, but I told myself I was going to get caught up so I didn't do this to my customers again. You know how valuable they are. One misstep and they'll go to any of the other dozens of shops online and my revenue is lost. One wrong order and it gets blasted all over the internet. I have no defense against my latest behavior and my business would suffer. We live in an instant gratification society and if I'm too slow, it'll go against me."

He squelched a sigh and gently squeezed one of her hands. "I...also haven't seen you in a week." He kept up, trying not to be upset. Tried to keep it out of his voice. "I know you needed to get caught up after everything you'd been through and that I was partially to blame. I didn't want you to get kicked out of class because of your distress, but I thought a week was enough." Hurt littered his face and he couldn't stop it. "You don't even have thirty minutes?"

Her lips tightened as she avoided his eyes. She was quiet for the longest time, shoulders looking tense and her stance rigid, before she took a step back and brought his hands to her mouth. She gave the back of his palm a light kiss, but he felt it wasn't as reassuring as it could have been.

"I'm sorry. I know you're booked until next month. That's partially why I didn't say anything. I figured you'd be busy and tired, too. I took the extra time I suddenly had to get ahead of the game." She pasted on a smile and looked at him. "The day after your father's show is over, I'll plan my evenings accordingly, okay? I'm almost back to normal...I just need a little more time."

She wasn't going to budge on this. He could suddenly tell from her smile that she was asking his okay for the space she wanted for herself with no consideration of him.

Dejection washed over him and he almost wanted to throw his hands from hers, but he couldn't feel them. He stared at those hopeful blue eyes as she waited for his words, but his tongue numbed out and refused to obey him.

He didn't know what he expected. He had known since he first started watching her that she was busy. She had told him when he barged in on her months ago after he told her he had been watching her. The hours she was up with her light shining into his room also spoke of this. It had been that way for an entire year; why did he think she was going to put him in front of her business now?

" _Sounds_ _like_ _my_ _dad._ _But,_ _that's_ _not_ _exactly_ _a_ _compliment_ _I_ _suppose...for_ _someone_ _like_ _him..."_

" _Last time I checked Monsieur, Gabriel was doing alright for itself and is still leading the world of fashion quite well. It's something for many lower level designers to aspire to."_

She wasn't happy that he dogged his own father, even though he knew the man better than she ever would. She wanted to be like Gabriel Agreste...who had also long ignored him for the sake of his business. That sting had done a good job of numbing him to the idea of family after his mother left due to the same treatment. He only stayed because he was a minor at the time and his mother awarded his father, the breadwinner, sole custody when she fled the same oppression he had to live through for years after.

He suddenly blinked at the water invading his eyes. He harshly swallowed and looked away, giving a short, humorless exhale at the situation he had inadvertently placed himself in. He started shaking his head, unable to stop.

"It's never going to change..." He mumbled, finally dropping her hands. He looked at her and her confusion, letting her see the hurt on his face. "You're not going to change... I'm just doing this to myself all over again."

She still looked confused, but slightly guilty. "I'm sorry Adrien. If I had free time, you know I'd give it to you. I just need a few more days."

"It's been a week already!" He burst out, staring indignantly. "How much more time do you need? How much longer do you plan on 'not having free time'?!" His jaw clenched, the words of a relationship he just pulled her from almost escaping in his upset. His head thankfully saved him from digging a grave he didn't have a ladder to get out from.

This current one however...

"There's no point." He suddenly muttered, almost to himself. He looked to the floor, the epiphany suddenly coming to him. The pain that laced his chest kept him from breathing for a few seconds as he tried to pass through it. "No point...there's nothing... I should have known."

"I'm sorry, Adrien!" Her hands reached out and lightly grasped his arm, but he jerked her off roughly. "I'm not doing this to you on purpose! Please believe me!"

He stared at her earnestness and pleading eyes. She was being honest and he knew this, he could tell immediately. She left nothing from him...but it wasn't enough.

He suddenly knew in a second why his mother left his father. This feeling that was enveloping him must have gone through her for so long that she couldn't take it anymore. He had known for a long time when she was around that she wasn't okay, but he was too timid at the time to ask her what was wrong. He looked past the stress lines at the corners of her eyes and mouth, not realizing they were from the same situation he was ready to put himself through.

"Take your time." He bit out, taking a step back. "Take as much time as you want. Take the next two years and have your room all to yourself." He looked away bitterly, unable to keep the last words from jumping off his tongue. "You deserve them."

He didn't let her get a word in edgewise as he hurried down the hall, ignoring his name and balling his fists up inside his jacket as he headed downstairs. He didn't look outside of himself until he was back in his own room and finally let a few tears drip down his face before capping them off.

She wasn't good enough for tears...even if she was good enough for tears.

He stared at his room, finding her window light shining into his room at the late hour. He promptly strode to the window and yanked the curtains closed so hard they almost came off their resting spot.

He should have known to hope beyond hope. Anyone that was too good to be true probably was. He had learned that so many times over the years, the original lesson beginning at home. Why did he keep putting himself through this?!

After moments of giving in to the frustration he had been holding back all week, he finally went for his cell phone, remembering only a few hours earlier.

 _Don't bother "stepping in". It's over. I don't want any part of her. She has no time for me and I don't think she ever will. I'm going to do as you originally told me to and cut my losses with her and find a model to obsess over instead. Just leave it alone Nino._

There was nothing after that and he looked to the time. He wondered if Nino was at one of his many jobs and assumed it to be the case since there was no immediate answer. With a quick sigh that spoke of volumes, he looked to his clothes and the time and decided to say "fuck it" to the rest of the day. He tossed his phone onto the desk, set his alarm, and crawled into bed without changing into his pajamas.


	41. No more kid gloves

_Just_ _leave_ _it_ _alone_ _Nino._

He had been livid. Positively pissed and ready to tear out some poor stranger's head off when he saw that text at midnight after he had a break at the club.

 _I'm going to do as you originally told me to and cut my losses._

That one text caused a stream of expletives from him as fast as he could say them, in as many languages as he knew. He was more upset at Marinette, but he was also a little with Adrien for not throttling the girl until she saw the light of day when he had the chance.

Luckily, he had already planned on doing that for him.

He wanted to go by himself that very night after reading it. He had a feeling she'd still be up at any rate working to "get caught up" or "get ahead" as he bet she had rattled off to Adrien. But he didn't want to go without back-up. He had a feeling it would have to be a mutual attack.

While he loved Marinette like a sister, he was too annoyed to not shake her right now. Like any good family figure, he needed to intervene when she was about ready to make a huge mistake. While she had been a good fit for Nathaniel, she was an even better one for Adrien. If she couldn't see past her own business to see that she was throwing away a rich, successful, handsome, benevolent model for a boyfriend who was ready and more than willing to go out with her...not to mention put up with some of her shit...they would gladly help her do so!

He reached for his phone in the booth and pulled one of his headphones off an ear to hear.

"Babe." He greeted, ignoring her croaky annoyances at calling at such an hour. "I've got a doozy for you and I just know you'd yell at me if you got wind of it after I did something on my own."

She wiped the sleep out of her eyes and tried to keep them open as she fumbled for her covers. "Gimme a second." She whispered, hearing the muted noises of the club on the other line. She tiptoed out of the shared room at the irritated grumbles of her twin and headed into the hallway. She shut the door and slowly made for the stairs. "What the hell are you talking about at MIDNIGHT?!" She hissed.

He took a deep breath. "Mar and Adrien are going out...and they slept together last week."

She stared into the darkness, unable to think or keep a good hold on the phone. She caught it when it almost slipped from her grasp, eyes now open. "What the hell?!" She screeched as quietly as possible.

He gave a quick run-down of what he was originally told and what he planned on doing. "It's going to be tricky and the timing has to be perfect." He mumbled, focusing for a second on his playlist as the song finished. "I can't get out of here till three and the buses don't run till about seven. I say we hop the first one over and get there before her classes." He suddenly paused, brow furrowing. "What is her schedule this semester anyway?"

Her brain tried to work, but it took a minute. "Eight? No...seven-thirty? Sometime around then." She hummed as she counted the minutes by bus and back for her own classes. "That's kind of close, Nino. I say we ambush her after class at three and keep her from her business long enough to slap her in the face with a dose of reality."

He pondered the hours after she told him when Marinette got out of school. "An hour later and I'd be done at the shop." Fingers rubbed at the stubble he had left. "What say about four thirty? I can try to sneak out early if my co-worker will fill in the last hour for me to do some good Samaritan work."

She snorted, mentally calculating her own schedule tomorrow. "I work for mom at the usual hour, so if we get there really early and make it short, I should be okay. I'll just let her know the 'emergency' and see if she'll let me have another thirty minutes depending on traffic."

"Okay...battle plans are drawn. I'll meet you outside the dorm unless it rains like it says it's going to."

"Time to bring the pain." She cracked with a grin, shutting her phone off and heading back to bed, though not knowing how quickly she would fall asleep after news like this.

01010

It had been a long day. She knew they both weren't going to get anything done, sleep-wise or work-wise. She wondered if Nino had to knock himself out to get any rest for his long day of work. She knew it had been hell to concentrate and she was going to be even more irate if absolutely nothing came out of this.

She spotted him heading toward her and he didn't look pleased in the slightest. She imagined she must look pretty disgruntled herself about the whole thing, but that was a given. They had been put through their friend's love life over the last year and a half and it seemed that the only time she ever talked to them was when she was pouring her heart out and needing advice about the same thing every time. The first few times after the break-up were understandable; now it was just annoying.

Especially her. She had to hear about it more than Nino and there were a few times when she wanted to throw her cell phone in the toilet and flush it with Marinette on the line.

She didn't want to say that this was payback for all of the headaches her friend brought on her. She didn't want to be that petty, but she was going to lecture Marinette until she saw the light of day and started balancing work and life. She had done so with Nino and while she wasn't very happy that she only got to see him a few times a month, not like it had been at Sorbonne, they had worked things out and she knew those two could do so, too.

"Let's do this." He surly greeted. She gave a solemn nod and walked past as he held the door open.

"Who should speak first?"

"If I start in, odds are I'm going to lay into her with as cranky as I am." He mumbled, still not completely awake. "It has not been a good morning." He groused, remembering the few students he snapped at because of this. There was a lot of fending off to upset mothers so they didn't cancel the remaining appointments that he had set up for the next few months.

"I'm not much better, but I can deflect her easier, so I'll take first point." She finalized as they reached the floor. She stopped at Marinette's door and glanced at him. She got a nod and rapt on the door, nothing happening. She put her ear to it to find the sewing machine going and banged on it without caring how she sounded. The two of them had too much to do to put up with this right now.

The noise stopped after a second and not even a minute later, the door swung open.

"Guys? What are you doing there? I almost thought it was Adrien again. Sorry I didn't answer the door."

He stared at her, unable to believe the words for a second. He suddenly swung away, hands going through his hair. "I'm going to throttle her, babe. Take the bullet."

She heaved a sighed and pushed her friend inside without any greeting, keeping the door open long enough so he could pass, too. "That's kind of why we're here, you idiot." She ignored the indignant look and stared at everything loitering the room. "Hard at work again? As always? You really need to create a happy medium, you know."

Marinette's arms crossed. "I'm well aware of how busy I always am and I'm sorry that it offends everyone." Her hands threw around her head. "Everyone was well-versed in this during Sorbonne! Why is this different all of a sudden? Sometimes I don't have a choice; I have to work instead of have fun! It's how I pay my bills."

Hands went to her hips as she gave a reproachful look. "I think you've been using that as an excuse for the last year and it's time you reevaluate your life before you end up the biggest loser out of all of us."

A raven brow went up. "And just what does that mean?"

"Don't bother stepping in. It's over. I don't want any part of her. She has no time for me and I don't think she ever will. I'm going to do as you originally told me to and cut my losses with her and find a model to obsess over instead. Just leave it alone, Nino." He pushed the phone into Marinette's face, ignoring her surprised cry. "Read it! That's what he just sent to me last night! I've only known him for a few months, but he's still my friend! He's supposed to be that and more to you, damn it!"

Marinette took the phone that was inches from her face and read Adrien's words. Her lips pressed together as she slowly handed it back, looking away at his glare. She finally sighed, rubbing her face. "What am I supposed to do?" She finally bit out, hands flailing in the air again. "He knew I was busy since the beginning! He's busy, too! If the tables are turned and he can't spend time with me because of a show, what am I supposed to do? Why am I the bad guy here?!"

A hand squeezed the sides of her face at the temples. "I know you're thick girl, but you need to see the bigger picture." A finger wagged in her friend's face. "Why did you break up with Nathaniel and put him through hell if not to spend time with Adrien? Why are you rescinding that decision just to work on your business?" A hand waved about the mess. "If that was the case, you should have spared Adrien, kept your word from last year to Nathaniel, and not made either of them suffer the whole time!"

Marinette crossed her arms, lips pouting. "You think I'm just playing the two of them on purpose? I finished everything with Nathaniel because I was tired of always crying over him! I just don't have time right now! This is how I pay for college! I'm almost halfway through it. I almost failed this semester because of everything and now I need to really focus because I almost flunked a test, but my gracious professor gave me some time because of what's been going on. Adrien has a show soon; he's busy too."

"Not too busy to find time to spend with his girlfriend." He retorted.

His finger reached out and pointed accusingly in Marinette's face when she went to argue back. "You and I are the same." His thumb jerked to Alya. "Adrien and her are the same. Our situation is really similar and that's why we're here to tell you that you're going to be making a huge mistake if you don't take a step outside yourself and realize what you're throwing away here! We've made it work, but it took a lot of honesty and trust. You have to put yourself out there and compromise somehow or you're going to end up a spinster old person, much like that idiot of a fashion designer that you admire so much."

He met Marinette's eyes, staring hard the entire time. The two of them said nothing, almost staring the other down for absolutely no reason. The tension was there amongst them, moving about the space between them.

"Don't be pig-headed about this, Mar." He mumbled, gaze softening. "You and Adrien are my friends and you're both special. I want to see you be happy and I think you'd be good together. He really likes you. Likes you enough to give as much as he has the whole time. He even stepped out of the way for you, he likes you that much! He put his own emotions aside for your sake. He threw away that resolution because you broke up with Nathaniel for him. That told him you wanted to be with him. Don't be cruel, Mar. His father has ignored him most of his life and caused his family to break up. Don't be like Gabriel; that guy is a total douche-bag."

She looked to her friend, finding the irritation subdue itself a little and took the reigns to knock the peg in a little more. "Ask yourself why you broke up with Nathaniel if not to go out with Adrien. What's the point if all you're going to do is ignore him? Do you even want anyone in your life? If you don't, you should go straighten Adrien out and apologize for what you did. If all you do is focus on your business, you're going to be a lonely person cloistered away from the world and all your friends will forget you. You've been feeling guilty because you know this and that's why you always feel so bad. Don't just feel bad; do something and stop crying about it!"

"Don't think he's going to forgive you if you take too long, Mar." He continued. "We're your friends and we're here for your sake, really we are. We took time out of our lives to help you again, so don't disregard this. Don't go back to your sewing like I know you want to do. Think about this. No, wait...don't think about anything, just go over to his room and kiss the man."

"I second that." She added with a nod. She stepped over and threw an arm around his shoulders. "We're living proof that things can be worked out and everything as ironed out as it's going to get. Of course we have our problems, but I'm like you. I'm halfway done too, but you don't see me come crying to you about the times I don't get to spend with Nino. He has his stuff and I have mine. We set aside our time...hell we schedule it if we have to! Don't let that nit-picky habit of yours out you from a great guy."

The pair watched Marinette suddenly plop down on her bed over a fully sewn garment and idly look to it. She was quiet for what felt like forever and they waited with baited breath, not wanting to go over the same topic with different words if she had anything to say back.

"Think about it. You owe yourself, Adrien, and us that much." She pushed, arms crossing. A hand dug her phone out of her pocket, eyes widening a little. "We've been here for plenty of time to lecture you and I've got work to get to. Nino didn't get any good sleep and he has the club tonight. We're going to get going so we're not late for anything." A finger whipped out. "Tell me you'll spend some time away from work and think about what we said."

A hand waved in their direction. "Yes, yes. I promise I'll spend time thinking about my future outside of Lucky Charm." The hand dropped as massive discomfort entered and anxiously rubbed against an arm. "I...it's just...hard...and different." Blue eyes dropped to the floor. "I never went out with anyone else before. I...I don't know what to do. It's not Nathaniel; it's not comfortable." Her head ducked. "Would you hate me if I said that...I'm kind of...scared of him?"

The pair were silent, looking at someone who refused to meet their eyes. They stared at each other, unable to find words to that. Her mouth dropped first. His brow went up in confusion until a light bulb turned on. Both of their eyes widened a little.

This was an unforeseen reason they hadn't considered, but it made sense. Marinette had never dated anyone outside of Nathaniel and they were all aware of this. The trio had gone to middle school and high school together. They had seen her talents take up her time and overshadow boys. She only became aware of Nathaniel when he avidly started chasing her at Sorbonne, his talent one of the things that drew her eye back.

That had to be it. If she was weirded out by Adrien because his personality was new and different, and secretly used work to push him away, it shouldn't really shock them.

"Alya...what would you do...if you and Nino broke up for some reason? Would you be okay with going out with someone else? Would you be weirded out? Nino...would you date someone so soon afterward? You're both used to dealing with random people...I'm not. I can't be honest...I'm shy about it. I already made a huge mistake and did the wrong thing."

The pair looked at Marinette to find curious, beseeching eyes their way. Eyes that knew they had dated for a long time, had gone through their own hurdles after high school when Sorbonne split their colleges. They had gone strong since the tail end of middle school, went rocky at the end of Sorbonne, and fixed it shortly after she entered grad school. They had been "it" for so long and it was just normal that they were together, that they end up together someday.

That had been assumed about Marinette and Nathaniel, but things had changed and she was the one to deal with them.

"Ahhh...well..." She drawled, kneeling in front of her friend. "Is this what's really been bothering you? You should have said something to him about it! Honesty is what should only exist between you two. This is happening because you haven't said anything about how you feel."

"How am I supposed to go to the man I just slept with and tell him that he makes me feel strange because he's new and I don't know him?" Marinette retorted, looking guilty. "I totally screwed this up from the beginning and I don't know what to do to make things better! I feel so awkward! He's been watching me for over a year! His feelings are way past mine and I have to run to catch up. I can't do that so quickly! I only know of him because of his work and all the magazines he's been in. That doesn't tell me who he is as a person, you know!"

He kneeled next to Alya and patted Marinette's knee. "I didn't know Adrien either, but I started chatting with him here and there and got to know him. You need to make time and suck it up to get past yourself. You didn't have to worry about finding boyfriends or making friends because everyone you know you've been going to school with for so long. It's been easy for you. This is the first time you've had to put yourself out there, but it's time you do so. You can't always be this shy and critical about yourself. What happens when your business expands and you go even more global? Are you going to hide away from all the people you don't know that want to pay you for your services?"

"This is my baby and I'd be happy if that happened."

She sent a dry look across the way. "It was an example." She sighed and sat back on the floor, Nino joining her a second later. She looked at him, some of the fire burning itself out. She could see Nino had lost most of his edge at the twist they didn't ask about before barging in and pointing fingers.

She looked up after a moment. "We want you to try. You should. We both think you'll be better off for it. I think you'd be stupid to give up on a guy like Adrien just because you're shy and don't know him. It's okay to make mistakes. He's going to, too, but he's willing to try. He's been more than patient with you this whole time."

"You'd better hurry though." He mumbled, fingers rubbing his lower lip. "After that text, I think he's ready to start throwing it all away from whatever you said to him. You'd better hurry up if you want to keep the thing you started or it's going to die faster than you think."

Marinette sighed and finally stood. "Is it going to be too terrible of me to think about it and work at the same time?" She cringed away when they gave her annoyed looks. "I just need to finish these damn garments! Then I'm caught up! I'm almost there! I can ignore anything on the website tomorrow and go see him then...happy?"

Her lips pursed. "I don't think we can ask for much more than that..."

His head shook. "You're going to be hard pressed to get him then. His dad has another show really soon. He'll be busy. I'm actually amazed that I even saw him today. He won't be available until it's done and I think if you wait that long, then you'll have lost the opportunity."

They watched their friend pace her room, a look of true worry crossing her face as reality clobbered her over the head. "Is he busy at some venue right now?"

He nodded. "He's going to be doing the final prep from pretty much now till the show is done." He grinned at Marinette's odd look. "It's good to have connections for my business. Adrien helped contract me out again this season."

She looked his way. "If that's the case, do you think you can sneak her in and shove those two together for five minutes?"

His lips pressed together. "There's no easy way to just waltz into a show that Gabriel is in charge of, but if I play you off as my assistant, five minutes should be good enough. I already gave Adrien the cd that they can use, but I can always double-check myself from time to time."

Marinette saw them out, promising that she'd meet up with him after his text and then the two head over. She also promised to try not to be so star-struck when she went into the building that was going to house a real life Gabriel show.

They both sighed when the door shut behind them, their footsteps taking them down the empty hall. "I'm worried." She admitted, checking her phone clock again.

"Same. I want to think that we got that through to her though."

"Well, we don't have time to worry about it right now. I need to head to work and you need to go pass out for a bit for the club tonight."

He heaved a sigh. "The first time we have for us in a bit and we spend it yelling at our friend who shouldn't need it if she used her head."

She smirked his way. "Someone sure is frustrated..."

His eyes playfully narrowed as they kept going. "I'd pull you over into that kitchen we just passed, but you'd yell at me for making you later than your mother is expecting."

She grinned, trying not to laugh. The thrum of excitement at such a thing, as unromantic as it might be, was a tad thrilling. "You know me." Her arm went over his shoulders, his tugging her waist close before they parted for the stairs. "Maybe I'll make some time tomorrow after class then Romeo..."


	42. Long time no see

Bright lights, well-fitted clothes, and too tight of shoes. The model life beckoned again.

He never looked forward to it that much, but after the last horrible turn of life, he was even less happy to leave his bed and enter the real world.

He didn't want to be here. Every part of him was bored with getting the clothes on, with listening to directions for the latest cat walk, and having to chat back with his fellow models like he was interested in what they had to say. He didn't hang out with any of these hired bodies his father didn't even look at after the show was over. They went their way, he went his. The only reason he played nice sometimes, especially when he didn't want to in days like now, was because others would talk about how mean he was and then his father would redirect it back on him without asking why.

He was tired. Tired and done with so much of this. The latest, last straw had not helped in the slightest and it only made waking up every day worse. He only sighed and drudged one foot in front of the other, feeling like some spell had either been woven around him to make him suffer or had been broken just as he was getting to enjoy it.

"Monsieur Agreste? Pardon me..."

He blinked and came outside himself, apologizing yet again for spacing out and looking disinterested in whatever Production was trying to tell him. Not like this was hard; he knew how to put one foot in front of the other and just wanted The Day to come so he could go back to being put in the closet until his father demanded his presence again.

"Adri-kins! I knew you'd be here!"

He jolted at the sudden voice that took him his funk faster than it took for the voice to create recognition in his brain. He was nearly bowled over by a form so perfect that most of the models were probably jealous.

"Mademoiselle Bourgeois was looking for you."

"I've missed you so much! I didn't think I'd find you in all of these blond-haired models. It's a lot harder when they're all as tall as you are."

He somehow grasped arms that were latched around his midsection and pulled back to find a pair of utterly happy blue eyes staring up at him. They weren't as low as a recent pair that broke his emotions into tiny pieces and the dichotomy of someone who wasn't a head shorter than he was nearly staring him straight in the face shook her from his mind.

"Chloe...what are you doing here?"

Chloe hugged him again with an airy laugh. "Silly. Your father's agency found I was back in Paris and asked if I'd be one of the models for the show."

Of course they did. Having the long-term mayor's daughter and his childhood friend in his show was only asking for a few extra articles in the magazines. It was good pub on both sides and he just bet Chloe jumped at the chance to return from wherever in France she had traipsed to when she received word of being included in the spring show.

"You looked so down and grumpy that I had to come over and cheer you up." She reported, pulling back and playfully squishing his lips together with a coy smile. "You should smile Monsieur Grumpy Pants. Mademoiselle Chloe doesn't like seeing her dear friends sad."

He batted her hands away, although the play did as she instructed. His lips tilted a little when she pulled away and stared at him with a nod. "When did you get back from Lyon?"

"Actually, I started there." Chloe reported, flicking some of her ponytail off her shoulder. "Papa wanted me to get a good list of some wines to add to the restaurant, so he paid for me to also go to Bordeaux, Cognac, Strasbourg, Naples, and Florence. Of course, I made papa pay for a translator while I was in Italy."

Of course she did. Someone like Chloe Bourgeois was too above learning anything other than her own language because she didn't see the merit in it.

"It's good to be back in Paris though." She admitted with a sigh. "Southern France is so humid in the winter. It just flattened my hair. Stupid ocean."

Which didn't look like that at all, but he wasn't going to say anything.

He jostled himself from his bad mood long enough to recognize that his old friend, one he hadn't talked to in probably half a year, was back for what he just knew was a brief moment before she waltzed away for something else to do. Someone like her, who he had always known was head-strong and did things at her own pace, would never stay in one place for long.

"It's good to see you again at any rate." He warmly greeted, giving her a quick squeeze. She smiled when he pulled away and his lips tilted even higher. "I'll admit that it's been pretty boring around here with you gone."

Chloe smiled. "You knew you were welcome to fly with me whenever you wanted." Her fingers lightly poked the outfit he was wearing. "If your stuffy father would let you off your leash long enough to come out and play past all he makes you do anyway..." She heaved a sigh and looked around as if the man were anywhere to be found amongst the model ranks. "I'm amazed you even stand being around here as long as you do." Light blue eyes whipped to him, insistent, but happy. "You should come with me to Berlin during the summer months! It's so much cooler up there than in Paris. Or maybe we should hit up Munich...their wines are pretty good too and they have great food."

He stared at Chloe and only shook his head with an amused snort. "You haven't changed in years Chloe..." He mused, plopping his hand on her head despite the attempt not to muss the hair she had someone spend hours on.

"And that's a good thing." She pointedly broke in, eying him. "You on the other hand have too much make-up under those eyes of yours. Sporting some bad sleep lately?"

He resisted the pull down so she could get a better look at him. He didn't want her asking questions about something he didn't want to talk about anymore anyway.

He batted her hands away and looked around to keep her from discerning the bags under his eyes. "Didn't Sabrina go with you? She knows Italian."

"And English." Chloe humphed and crossed her arms in a childish pout. "That cooped-up, stuffy pants is too busy with numbers to go have fun with me." She pouted.

He smiled. "Accounting does that to a person."

Chloe made a gagging noise and pretended to do so by sticking her finger in her mouth. "I know she's smart, but yuck!" Chloe made a dramatic shake of her shoulders, tongue out as if she just had some bad pate. "That's why you pay people to do that stuff for you...which is her I suppose. I still don't see why she won't work under me and papa."

He didn't want to say why when he knew exactly why. Sabrina had come to him years ago with her frustrations at finally having seen Chloe for who she was...even if they had been together for years. While they went to public school and he didn't, not privy to much first-hand, Sabrina made up for it by telling him plenty. He knew more of Chloe than she ever showed to him and he was thankful to Sabrina in the long run for helping him keep that crush from ever running away from him.

He had a feeling if he ever went out with someone like Chloe Bourgeois, he'd go even more nuts than he did already. Hanging out with her like this showed it, too. She considered herself first and those she kept dear, second. He knew it wasn't always intentional when he remembered how she grew up. It was more of a defense mechanism, even if it made her seem like a snob.

He was glad the three of them stayed friends, even if Sabrina decided to become an accountant and effectively keep Chloe away from her. That ended up being for the best for her sanity when she realized how much of a doormat she was and started taking steps to get away from that. It was a great fit for her and her personality, plus it forced Chloe to get out into the world without her lackey by her side. Not that Chloe stopped to weep that Sabrina wasn't following her around anymore, but he knew she still texted Sabrina on occasion in order to get them together.

"I said," Chloe loudly interrupted, "what do you think about next week? She says she has some time. We could meet at the hotel and I can tell your father that I want you to do some pub for me so he lets you go. If I scratch his back for the venue, he should scratch mine for lunch with you."

He mentally jogged himself, not ever able to have a minute's respite with Chloe charging through like usual, and looked to the phone she was flashing in his face. "Next week? Your father's hotel? 'She' is Sabrina I assume?"

"That's what I just said!" Chloe huffed, putting the phone back in her purse. She peered at him again, slightly narrowed eyes searching his face. "You're seriously asleep at the wheel there. What's been going on with you the last few days?"

He could tell her everything, but doing so would be like lighting a match to a bottle rocket. It would sail high and then explode with a sudden burst, leaving nothing pretty to look at it in its wake. He didn't want to have to deal with that aftermath that already made his head hurt just imagining it.

He pasted on a smile and patted a shoulder. He ignored the raised brow and disbelieving look. "I've been more than stressed over the last six months from things at school and this." His hand waved around him and her eyes followed. "I'll be glad when March gets here and I don't have to walk in these shoes anymore."

Chloe looked down, tsk'ing at the clothes from this season's catalog. Her arms crossed as she took a good look at him again. "That's it. I've made up my mind." An arm went around his shoulders and squeezed. "You, me, and Sabrina have lunch at a cafe next week and catch up. Sabrina won't have much to add, but you and I can always chat and swap stories." Chloe grinned and gave another squeeze before letting go. "Not that I want to hear about anything school-related mind you, so you'll just have to talk about about something else." Her eyes lit up. "Or we can do that Germany thing in March! Wait...when is their rainy season again? I'm not walking around Berlin and getting my shoes all wet. Umbrella or not; they're expensive."

He squelched a sigh at her behavior. Chloe was still Chloe. She was aggravating, long-winded, fast-paced, let up for no one, yet oddly considerate in her own way. He knew she was trying to get him away from his life to make him feel better, even if he didn't want to go to Berlin. She just wanted to go hang out in some cafe there and watch people from the shop above with food and sit next to him. It had happened when he acquiesced to go to Rome with her because she didn't know Italian, but he didn't know German and didn't care to visit the place right now.

"Maybe later." He side-stepped, not wanting to discuss anything with her and get annoyed. Chloe's ideas were mostly Chloe's ideas and while he did have fun with her in Rome at some times, he was on her calendar and not his. "I've got to do this for the next few days, and so do you, you know. Neither of us are going to have a lot of spare time."

Chloe slapped a shoulder when he flicked her nose, but smiled with him. "That's what you think. I know how to do a catwalk and I'm not letting any of these idiots with headsets keep me here the entire time just because these other models can't get things right."

He looked around at a few who looked their way with indignant looks. He cringed a little and quickly looked Chloe's way. "Would you not say stuff like that so loud?" He nearly hissed, looking at her disapprovingly.

She sniffed and crossed her arms, chin raising. "I'm not going to lie and spare anyone's feelings if they can't do their job. I've been doing catwalks around Italy and France for years and it's not that hard. Just remember what you're doing and then do it." Chloe looked around as if something just occurred to her, hands uncrossing and going for her purse. "Speaking of which, what time is it? Shouldn't we at least be practicing the line-up by now? I'm not one for all this standing around."

"I know" practically left before he could bite his tongue hard enough to keep it from forming the syllables. He cleared his throat to keep his mouth closed and looked at the area with her. "Just be patient." He chided, slightly ruffling her hair with a cry from her. "Go get something to drink if you're bored. There are dozens of people here who are getting final fittings for The Walk and all the crew is doing their best to make sure this gets done properly. They don't want to listen to father go on and on about it later."

Chloe snorted. "Ain't that the truth." She put the phone back in its spot and looked his way, arm going around his seconds later. "Well, since you suggested it, I suppose I could use a quick something. I actually brought you a few bottles of Dom and Bordeaux to add to your collection at home." She smiled and tugged him in the direction she had left her gifts at. "Why don't you go take them somewhere safer while we have the time?"

Arguing with her would do no good. Once her mind was set to something, that was it. It had been that way for as long as he'd known her, through both good and bad decisions. Only when he thought she had crossed a line did he ever step up and tell her she was wrong.

He would admit that it was boring around here with his stuff done and now waiting on the dozens of other models who were waiting on dozens of other models. This was the hard part and he would admit he was ready to get the walk down for yet another odd design that production created. His father was allowing it on the pretense that it would be done properly the first time with no mishaps like the winter design.

He sighed and nodded, ignoring the arm that tucked itself firmly against his, and followed where she pulled him to.

 _Chloe inspiration: aminoapps com/page/ladybug-en-espanol/8377533/chloe-bourgeois_


	43. Sneaking in ninja-style

She was freaking out and he could totally see it. "This was a bad idea..." He mumbled for probably the fifth time. He eyed her as they walked in and wanted to shake his head at her behavior. "You're going to explode. This isn't going to work."

"It will too!" She hotly defended, clutching the huge case tighter to her chest. "I just need to get my face to cool off and I'll be fine."

He snorted. "And your eyes to get their slant back." He gave a cry as she whacked him with his cds. "It was a joke!" A hand rubbed the area, playing off how hard she hit him as they headed into the main area. "Just don't speak and you'll do fine."

She glowered at him as they came upon a group of staff members. "Thanks." She retorted, feeling nerves attack her again.

"Good evening, Madames and Monsieurs." He greeted, stepping in front of her. "I'm sure you might remember my face and if not, I'm hurt!" He grabbed a business card from his back pocket and handed it over. He gave ten seconds as the members passed it around and looked at it before starting in on what he had mentally practiced a few times. "I'm the music choreographer that your boss hired again for the spring catalog."

One of them looked at him, brow going up. "You were already here and we have the music selection for the catwalk. Why are you back?"

That was what he was waiting for. "I need to double-check my work and make sure that it's going much smoother than the last show. That first song I gave was incorrect and although Monsieur Agreste let me pick the song this time around, I want to see how the rhythm looks with the models' walking. Would hate for another slip-up to happen, right?"

She spied a look at him. Damn he was good! She knew Nino was crafty as a fox and his brain went a million miles a minute sometimes, but he really did think of everything, just as he said.

"So what's she doing here then?"

She jumped and directed wide, slightly scared eyes to the speaker. She clutched the huge container of music closer to her chest and sidled a little closer to him. Not speaking was easy because she knew if she said anything, she'd give them both away.

Sneaking into a Gabriel production and NOT seeming like a rival brand ready to steal secrets before they were formally in the stores was hard!

"Don't mind her." He waved one hand in the air as if to dispel her, the other going around her shoulders. "She's my new assistant, but she's not very acquainted with fashion as she is with music. She's kind of overwhelmed with the whole thing. Sorry if she looks so scared. I'll admit, you people are pretty out there for her." A hand partly covered his mouth, as if he were going to tell a secret only they needed to hear. "She's still in college."

She wanted to scoff at the jab and snort at the semi-lie. He was good and she was going to give them both away if she didn't step it up and start finding her acting skills.

"You didn't have an assistant the last time you were here. Why do you need one now?"

She blinked owlish eyes at the one staring her down, critically eying her. She knew she must look very small and unsure, an easy task, just like he said. She opened her mouth to try and help him, but nothing came out.

"By your gracious boss, I've gotten my name out there a little more and managed to add some underlings to my business." He smiled and ruffled her hair, getting a cry from her at the treatment. "It's taken some time to groom her and I'm still working on it. I thought if she got her feet wet in the big time, it might help her mature a little faster...as it were."

"Just don't be too long. We're already being pressed by Monsieur Agreste as it is and we don't need to hear that the music selection was actually incorrect."

Everyone looked stressed and she knew from the looks on their faces what they were going through. There was a lot riding on this walk and they had all worked very hard. Her concerns went out to them, relaxing her and she opened her mouth before thinking of what she said. "We'll try to hurry. We won't take up too much of your time."

"I hope not." A hand waved them past. "We'll help you find Monsieur Agreste."

They got about a dozen paces into the building before he decided to speak. "Actually, I need both of them." He ignored the curious, slightly annoyed looks and kept walking, as if they were merely adjusting the plans Production thought he was here to put in motion. "I require both of their opinions on this. I'll talk with Monsieur Gabriel Agreste and my assistant will speak with his son. That's another reason why I brought her along. This way we're in and out and let everyone get back to work if nothing comes from it."

She kept walking in step with Nino, not pausing and riding on the coat-tails of his confidence. It was only partially a fallacy that he needed to be here, but it was also partially true. Nino had chosen the song, but she knew he would want to make sure it was entirely accurate before letting his name get thrown to the public. They were very alike and perfection crowded around them at times. This was half to get her in to see Adrien, but half to make sure his job was done accordingly.

She just knew he was also doing this so he'd get hired on another season later.

She finally tuned in to what the headsets were talking about and found that she wasn't going to get to immediately speak with Adrien. They were currently practicing a walk when she entered the main area and stood off to the side as not to bother anyone. The song was halfway over and someone was speaking into their headset to someone else, finding that there'd be one more full walk as a few of them located Gabriel and could pull Adrien aside. She barely heard Nino say anything positive about that, knowing he wanted to see everything as it should be in a very short amount of days.

She had never been in a full-on venue before, let alone ever had the money to attend an actual catwalk. Her arms clutched the case to her chest, a feeling of amaze piercing her so strong she was only aware her mouth was open when she started drooling from it. She jolted to and snapped it closed, but it didn't last.

She watched The Walk with impossibly wide eyes, unable to blink for fear that she would miss it all. This was what she wanted to be; this right here was the big time. The highest peak. The glory. She watched the models in colors and designs that she could easily tell would be a big hit with half of them and knew she'd see most of them in stores very soon.

Jealousy and admiration warred together and she had the urge to get to her sketchbook as a flood of new ideas, though strictly her own, came to her head to be made. Inspiration at seeing a pro was so strong that it took her a moment to remind herself why she was actually here.

She wasn't supposed to be thinking of her business...although...when her eyes landed on the person she wanted to see in the first place, that never transpired afterward anyway.

He was absolutely gorgeous...handsome...godly. His figure was perfect in the clothes that were made for him and his hair was nicely done. The color scheme went with his skin tone and eye color, as it should. The serious look he adopted, like everyone else had for the show, made him seem even more dangerous and she was vaguely aware of her legs quivering. Her eyes trailed around him like the moon to the earth, caught in his pull and unable to look away even as he rounded the end of the walk and his back was the only thing she could see on the turn away.

Her knees actually gave out and she stumbled a little.

"Hey!" He was at her side, slightly alarmed when she fell against him and helped steady her. "What's the matter with you? Get a hold of yourself!" He hissed.

Her breathing was choppy as she shook her head. Her mouth opened to find words, eyes still on his retreat until she couldn't see him anymore. Her mouth was dry, tongue useless. Even if she had words to say, there was no strength to make them heard with the noise from the music.

He took in her reaction, brow raised. He steadied her and felt her arms shaking, though she kept holding his collection as if it were gold. He watched her, getting a feeling this would be a little more productive than he thought. He didn't think her watching Adrien on the catwalk would create such a strong reaction, but that was only good for Adrien.

When the walk ended and the music stopped, he dug his elbow into her side to quietly tell her to hop to it. He took point and plopped a hand on her shoulder when some of the headsets started moving around. "Mademoiselle, please go with this fine gentleman to find Monsieur Agreste while I find the other one and discuss his opinion on the song. Please get Adrien's information and try to remember what he said. I'll convene with you after that and we can talk about leaving or changing it."

She gave a choppy nod, cds forgotten in her arms, and headed off without a word to the stage. They rounded it and headed past the interesting design for the area everyone had disappeared to.

The amount of beautiful people, TALL beautiful people, had her slightly awed. She stared at their garments, eyes critiquing the stitching and cuts as she tried to keep up with the one person she didn't want to lose. She mentally slapped herself to keep focus on the task at hand.

Her steps stopped when the sea of beauty parted and the crew found the one they were searching for.

"Monsieur Agreste, this young lady is here with Monsieur Lahiffe about the music selection. It seems she needs your opinion on the song to decide whether or not it's to be used in the next few days."

She locked eyes with his, seeing confusion and amazement. She could see "what are you doing here" written all over his face along with "how did you get in". She nervously licked her lips, unable to take another step to flawlessness.

He looked amazing and while she was aware that his clothes were tailored to fit every curve of muscle and slant of waist, that didn't help the quivering of her legs and adrenaline going through her. The memory of their night together was poorly timed and she harshly swallowed at the hit to the gut.

" _Why did you break up with Nathaniel and put him through hell if not to spend time with Adrien? Do you even want anyone in your life?"_

" _Do_ _you_ _want_ _it?_ _Do_ _you_ _want_ _me?"_

Her mind was coming unglued at the seems. The second he stood from his chair and towered over her in those clothes of his, face serious and slightly disapproving, she felt herself tremble even harder. Her heart pounded in her chest and threatened to escape if it could only break through her rib cage.

She didn't doubt it could at this point.

"Please come here and be brief. Mademoiselle?"

She jumped at the attention on her, unable to pull herself from herself. She harshly swallowed, lips dry, and wishing she could wet the desert that was her mouth. She inched forward with wide eyes, feelings she had never addressed surging through her. There was no time to mentally consider anything, but at this point of how bad she was drowning in them, part of her didn't care to fight it.

"Mademoiselle." He coolly stated, seeing her jump. He looked down to find so many things staring back at him and it took him aback, though he was annoyed that his heart beat sped up a little. He looked to the crew and nodded to the man. "I'll send her back the way she came in a few minutes. You don't need to stand here with us. I'll be quick."

He only waited until the man left them before turning back to her. He silently took in the shyness, the intense blue, the shaking of her arms, and the rapid breathing. She was acting much like when she was around him in the beginning and his lips tightened a little at the thread of happiness at seeing her again.

She stared at him for what felt like forever. She couldn't move, much like the very first time she laid eyes on him. The star-struck feeling of seeing him at the cafe, but knowing him much better this time around, wouldn't leave her. Seeing him at work, his status clobbered her over the head. She stared into his eyes, emotions trying to leave her mouth, only thwarted when she couldn't even speak.

Her hand suddenly jutted out in between them, the multitudes forgotten entirely. She didn't know what she was doing since her head had partially melted. "I..." She mumbled, clearing her throat. "I'm...M – Marinette...Dupain-Ch – Cheng..."

He blinked, head jerking back a little. He stared at her in total befuddlement, not knowing why she was suddenly introducing herself now. He looked to the hand, taking it on reflex and feeling how sweaty her palms were...how badly her hand was shaking. Her face was impossibly red. She was acting like most of the underclassmen who first got a glimpse of him, while knowing exactly who he was.

Her mouth flapped opened and closed a few times at the warm feel of his hand in hers. His hand was so much bigger, his skin smooth to her callouses. She felt everything through the pads of her fingers, though they stood there with clasped hands. "I heard th – that...you were...h – holding onto a...g – glass s – slipper for me...hopefully..."

A brow shot up in utter confusion before his eyes widened at her words.

" _After_ _you_ _ran_ _away_ _like_ _I_ _was_ _going_ _to_ _kill_ _you,_ _I_ _realized_ _that_ _I_ _couldn't_ _apologize_ _to_ _someone_ _whose_ _name_ _I_ _didn't_ _even_ _know._ _Is_ _it_ _too_ _late_ _to_ _start_ _over,_ _Cinderella?"_

His mouth dropped as he kept meeting her eyes. He stared for the longest moment, before leaving her eyes with a tense sigh. Part of him wanted to be mad at himself for reacting about the whole thing. Part of him was just happy she was next to him.

"I didn't want to...to talk over...text...and I know y – you're...busy..." She looked to the ground, guilt hitting hard. "Sorry" was not a good thing to do because she could apologize until she was blue in the face, but that didn't mean he would still accept her. She had to do something she hadn't done yet: attempt to be something to him and be honest with him. "I came to...maybe...introduce myself...a – and...if you're okay...m – maybe...start over a little?" Her lips pressed together. "I know that it's stupid...I know. After all that. I'm being an idiot for nothing. I got scared for stupid reasons."

She pulled her hand away and he listened to her ramble on about being afraid of him and herself and what she would do. How she would make such a fool out of herself and push him away as she had already done so much to Nathaniel. How she didn't know how to act around him because she had only ever dated one person in her life and didn't want to make things messed up again. How she wanted to do this the right way, but realized she didn't even know how to...had probably never known how to.

He listened to the flood gates open, blood roaring past his ears as things he never would have considered hit him. The shock of such bluntness left him at a loss for words and the previous anger slipped away when he found that work wasn't the reason she kept her distance from him. Her own personal insecurities and lack of experience were almost her undoing.

"After that night...you're afraid of me?" He heard himself ask.

"I know!" She cried out, hands covering her face. The cds fell to the ground, ignored. "It wasn't supposed to be this way! I used work as an excuse! I know 'sorry' isn't good enough! I can apologize as much as you want me to. I'll start right now!"

His hands shot out when she tried to kneel in front of him and picked her up, quickly looking around at a few of the other models giving them weird looks. He hurriedly grabbed the cd case, as if she was going for that instead of giving him a full-on, floor bow in Chinese fashion.

"You need to be careful of where you're at." He hissed, paranoia at her actions washing over him. "You're here to get my opinion of the song that Nino picked out for father's show. Your actions are giving you away to people that can't really hear us."

She gave a choppy nod, clutching the case to her again and feeling stupid. The feel of his hands on her, of him so close, was unnerving her. "S – sorry..." She murmured. "I'm not intentionally trying to get kicked out..."

"Worse will happen if this gets back to father." He mumbled, going for the case and looking through it to try and save her facade. "You're going to make Nino face some fairly serious consequences if father finds out what he did for you." He took a step toward her, shifting so their backs were to everyone and it looked like they were going through his music together.

She had never thought past getting into the venue. Of getting to see Adrien and trying to keep him in her life. She didn't consider what would happen if she totally messed this up and got Nino in trouble. This was one of his business aspects that he made money from and if she botched this, she was going to close down a huge avenue for him. She may even get arrested for trespassing!

The gravity of the wrong behavior went through her and helped her calm down a lot. She held the case, pretending as well as he was. "Nino and Alya talked to me." She quietly reported, demeanor changing. She looked at him for a second before going back to the music.

"Oh?" He asked, idly taking one from its confines. He looked at the title, wondering if Nino would make him a copy later. He stuck his finger through the center and spun it as he looked at her. "I thought I told Nino to just leave it alone." His lips twitched the barest of degrees.

Her lips pressed together in discomfort at the cocky look on his face. His eyes were slightly playful. It off-set her and made her realize yet again just how much she had hurt him and their last parting.

"They sufficiently yelled at me for being an idiot." She mumbled, frowning. "Then, when I told them that you scared me, Nino suggested that we come here without waiting for your father's show to be over. He said it might be too late."

"Smart man." He ignored her wide eyes and put the disc back in its spot. He randomly picked another one that looked like he wanted a copy of and repeated his actions. "Very adept."

Her mouth opened and closed, brows going up as the gravity of their last conversation clobbered her over the head. Her hands shook with the need to clutch him to keep him from walking away and reporting her. She knew he wouldn't do that to Nino though, whom he must value more than her right now. The thought of him answering any of her texts after the show was done suddenly seemed dangerously low if she hadn't shown up in person to apologize.

"I don't like being reminded of my old home life." He quietly continued, speaking about such pain as if he were discussing the weather. "You act way too similar to my father and I felt too much like my mother. I didn't like it." He gripped the cd and stared at her solemnly. "If you needed space, I gave it to you. I was doing nothing next to you and I finally saw the pointlessness in it all. You had no time for me...you made no time for me." He put the plastic back before he crushed it in his hurt. "Like I said...you deserve it."

She shuffled a sudden step toward him before catching herself. Her eyes were pleading and sad, but knowing she had caused this. The hurt and irritation on his face were her undoing and she cursed herself for her actions.

"Let me change it." She quickly blurted out. Conviction and hope laced through her. "You do have a point and meaning in my life. I'll show you. I –" She looked down, brow furrowing, "I don't know how yet, but they said to be honest and compromise. I'll try. I'm here instead of working on orders. They're still not done. I left my sewing machine hooked up and the garment might rip where I left it. I didn't put anything away when Nino told me to meet him here."

He stared at her. He wanted to touch her, but his own hurt and their location stopped him. Part of him wanted to believe her from the look on her face, but he held back. Words wouldn't be enough to sway him just yet.

She was overpowering him with those expressive eyes and he wanted to hope, to know that things would be okay. He didn't want her to fall into the pit that she had before, putting work above people that were supposed to mean so much to her. He took a mental second and tried to rationalize this.

He had been shunned before their relationship could actually begin, but now he knew why. She was too new in this as opposed to him and watching her, listening to her, made him want to embrace her.

Because damn it, he still felt something for her.

"I've been watching you for a year." He murmured, pinning her with the force of feelings he had been denied. He watched her mouth open and clamp shut, eyes wide. He leaned down a little, ignoring the situation and what may get her in trouble. "After what we did, I find it hard to believe that you're suddenly scared of me, but I suppose things are a little too fast for you. I guess...I'll have to wait and see how you plan on acting after this."

Her heart leapt into her throat at the insinuation. She numbly took the case he had closed for her and stared at him, barely nodding after a moment. Her eyes teared, lower lip trembling as she fought the dire urge to embrace him. She shuffled forward a step, forced herself back, but went again to him.

He read her movements, feeling somewhat satisfied at her reaction. He patted a shoulder and looked around as if just remembering where they were. "Of course, you'll have to wait until the show is done. I'm actually a very busy man right now."

She quickly nodded, swiping the few tears that dared give her away. "Y – yes...of course!" She mumbled, bowing before she could control herself. "I understand. I'm sorry for bursting in on you like this."

He didn't get the sense of satisfaction for the tables being turned. A voice cut through the area and made something cold walk up his spine, shivering all the way.

"What is she doing here?"

They both jerked to find a bubble of gum pop in front of them. It was chewed back past a pair of pink lips, dark brow going up. Light blue met dark blue for the longest time before there was a cry of recognition and he suddenly wanted to panic.

"You?! You!"

He stepped in front of Chloe, hand over her mouth. "Shh! You're being too loud!" He hushed, looking to the others around them staring at what was more interesting. He cleared his throat and let go when she swatted at him. "What are you doing over here for?"

"Production came looking for me because you were taking too long and said to come fetch Monsieur Lahiffe's assistant. I was bored so I did what they wanted, but I didn't think I'd find HER here!" Her narrowed as Chloe took a step forward. "Why are you here? Did you join the sewing section of this circus? I haven't seen you around anywhere and I can't believe that you would have just abandoned everything to work under Gabriel."

He looked between the two of them, becoming more confused as the words kept coming out of Chloe's mouth. What was even worse, Marinette looked annoyed at Chloe's mere being next to her. He had no idea what was going on and ran a hand over his face, ignoring his make-up. "What is going on here? Can one of you two please enlighten me already?"

Her lips tightened, the words not wanting to escape. She had long ago escaped that memory, but it was back and she didn't know what she did to deserve, other than the obvious, for being back under the ice blue eyes of Chloe Bourgeois.

"We went to school together. I took her seat in middle school." Chloe offered, suddenly smirking. "That didn't last long though...did it?"

"We also went to high school for a number of years." She supplied, not looking up. She suddenly felt like sweating for an entirely new reason that should never happen if someone she used to know was not here.

He blinked at the information that was curt and short. Questions went through his head, but from the haughty stare of Chloe and the subdued annoyance from Marinette, he had a feeling that none of their time together was very good and it was still a sore subject between them.

He knew that Chloe was not one to listen to others for any multitude of reasons, most of them stemming from her personality. He was also suddenly aware of what may happen if Chloe took whatever past information she was privy to about Marinette that he wasn't and decided to use that to her advantage because of some unrelenting grudge.

He snapped to at that thought, feeling unsettled. "Well, I'll get her sent back and get going. She's been here way too long like you said, but she did what she needed to do so she's leaving now. I'll just go with her because I need to speak with Monsieur Lahiffe myself about the music selection. Just want to make sure there are no issues like last season. Would hate father to get in an uproar over this."

She jumped when he was behind her, suddenly pushing on her shoulders with a grip that spoke of the matching urgency he showed in his words. She didn't even say goodbye, not like she wanted to in the first place though, and tried to put one foot in front of the other as fast as he was directing her away.

Chloe followed only long enough, asking questions and demanding information, before he found a headset and told them he needed to speak to his father and the music choreographer, and didn't want to be disturbed. The person saw Chloe coming at them and redirected her away, much to the loud annoyance that they heard halfway through their escape route.

She only walked normally when they were almost there. The cds went back against her chest, both arms around them. "Thanks for the save." She murmured, shy smile on her face.

"That was mostly for Nino." He reported, watching her face fall. "You still have some things to make up for before I save you solely for your benefit."

She wanted to be angry at those words, but they were true and she had no guard against them. She pouted, but nodded and said nothing for the rest of the distance.

"Nino! I didn't think you'd be back so soon." He jovially greeted, stepping forward and clapping a hand on his friend's shoulder with much more gaiety than he had felt in the last few days.

Nino smiled, returning the gesture before stepping back to eye the pair. "I hope the conversation was productive between the two of you." He pointedly eyed her. "I hope you listened well to what Monsieur Agreste had to say so you can tell me all about it."

She nodded, not trusting herself to say anything in front of so many crew members. She dared a glance up and found the owner of everything she hoped to reach staring down at her through designer glasses.

The case once again dropped from her arms with wide eyes.

"Hey, careful with those! You know how precious they are." He suddenly swooped down and picked up his things, dusting the case off as if it were dirty. He tsked and lightly bonked her on the head with it. "I know this place is too big for you, but you need to get it together."

It was Monsieur Gabriel Agreste himself! Her head exploded as she stared at him, too awed to be in his presence after all the magazines she'd seen of his stuff and the articles she'd read about his work. She turned to stone as her idol stood in front of her, a brow rising at her blatantly strange behavior.

Adrien rolled his eyes and stepped in front of her to Nino on purpose to break her stupor. "You don't need to discuss anything with her. I like the song and it'll work. That's all you need. I just wanted to see you before you headed out." He grinned. "Oh...and make me a copy."

"I said such things to Monsieur Lahiffe the first time he came back and assured him there would be no discrepancies in his work or ours." Gabriel echoed. "Now take your assistant and please let us do our jobs."

Nino nodded, eying Adrien. "I'm glad you approve of it." A sudden idea popped into his head and he abruptly smirked. "I wished the song would have turned out better, but I had to switch up female artists. I think the one I used for this one did a fair job on the lyrics though."

He watched Nino look to Marinette when he said those words. His eyes widened, mouth suddenly dropping open.

" _I asked my friend to sing for me, but she refused unless it was something that wouldn't implicate her or point her out in any way. She has such a pretty voice, but she's kind of shy sometimes and that's all I could get her to do."_

Something in him wondered about the voice and why it had been familiar...especially when he listened to it after he met Marinette. They had never hung out enough for him to ever pin the voices together so the singer from his last show remained a mystery...until now.

He couldn't believe it!

"You?!" He pointed at Marinette, who jumped at the sudden attention and loudness of his voice. Wide eyes met wide eyes. "You! It was you! You did that?!"

"Adrien, please control yourself. If everyone is done here, we all have jobs to do and our time is over, Monsieur Lahiffe. You have your peace of mind and if all turns out okay, I may use your services next season. I have been given your card by my son and will contact you in the future where necessary."

Nino smiled, mentally cackling at what he set in motion. "Thank you for your benevolent services again and I look forward to hearing from you in the future, Monsieur Agreste. My assistant and I will show ourselves out. I remember the way. Please don't trouble the crew on our account."

He flicked a nod Adrien's way, smirking at the shock still on his friend's features. His free hand laced under Marinette's arm and without another word, dragged her from the group before she could either pick herself from being in front of her idol or keep them from being more suspicious about her presence.

 _ATB_ _/_ _Jes – Hard_ _to_ _cure,_ _youtube com/watch?v=r4uWgs78fBU_


	44. Midnight rendezvous

The rest of the evening was a wash and he wanted nothing more than to leave. Chloe was more than a mental drain with the questions she wouldn't stop asking, the walk kept needlessly going, and the crew hovered more than he wanted.

All he wanted ever since the pair left was to bust out his cd collection and pop in that song again!

He couldn't believe it, but Nino had no reason to lie. Not after the look Marinette gave Nino when he talked about her singing one of the songs he used for the winter fashion collection. She was embarrassed that someone oust her like that, even if he didn't say she actually did it.

If it was one thing he knew about Nino, it was that he was crafty in many ways. Saying something subtly was one of them. It had been that way since they first met and it was a skill Nino was very good at.

He practically burst out of the car, not saying goodnight to his driver, when he got to the dorms at midnight. He found a few lights on and looked for hers, seeing it lit. He paused in between buildings, partially wanting to see her, but wanting to find that song more.

He hopped steps, wanting to confirm it for himself for some strange reason. It had taken a hold of him, as the curiosity had a long time ago, but this time was much stronger. He didn't know why he wanted to know, but he just did. Perhaps it was because he had feelings for someone he already knew to be amazing at so much. To know she could sing just seemed too much. There was no line to draw when it came to her!

He tossed his coat on the floor and left his shoes on as he went for his desk. He found the case still labeled and popped the cd in his laptop. The beat started back up and the memories of that catwalk came with it. The first meeting with Nino went through him and the lunch they first shared. The comments by the models about how much they liked the song and their critiques of it.

The secondary beat and electronic keyboard came in and took him back to first getting the case in his hands. Nostalgia hit him hard and random memories of the last six months went through him.

At least, until her voice came through his headphones.

His eyes closed, hands pressing the headphones closer. He listened to the same note set repeat itself for half of the song. There was no change in the intonation after the first strain of notes and the vibrato was barely there.

There was no doubt about it. It was her voice.

He pulled the headphones off and let them clack to his desk, eyes immediately going for her window across the way. He expected to see her hard at work with her mannequin. He was shocked to see her sitting in her chair, staring out her window at his.

He jumped back and pushed across the floor in his chair, almost upturning it. He knew very well that if he could see her from that distance, she could see him.

How long had she been watching him?! He scooted back to the window, mimicking her pose as as waved at him seconds. His hand slowly rose, unable to do more than that as his brain shut down.

It felt odd to have the tables turned. He didn't know what to feel. After having been gruff, yet honest, with her about his feelings and telling her she had much to make up for, she was staring at him out of her window. She wasn't working on anything either. This late when she was often at work, she was taking that time to watch him instead.

The sudden urge to see her in person overtook him and he warred with himself to go or not. Part of him, of course, wanted to go see her and take her in his arms, especially now that it was okay. Part of him wanted her to feel what he had suffered from her hands so she knew what it was like and never do such things in the future. Part of him wanted to remain where he was and gaze at her staring back at him as the emotionally needy fool that he was.

He shouldn't be stupid about the whole thing, but he didn't want to be naive anymore either. He needed her to know what she had done and know just what the consequences were. Even if Nino and Alya had intervened on something he asked them not to, he was kind of happy they did. He wanted to let the little spark of hope flare up in his chest at seeing this change in behavior. Her entrance was startling to say the least, but it gave him plenty of time to miss her and feel expectation at being near her again.

His lips tilted as she rested her head over crossed arms, still staring at him.

He threw the window open without a care to the temperature or how loud he would be. He crossed his arms against the chill and put his face on them, wondering how long he would be able to do this without needing to close it.

She opened it with a little more grace and copied his pose. "Hey Romeo." She called out, smiling.

He found himself smiling back a little, feeling somewhat happy. "What's up, Juliet." She laughed across the way and it made him shiver. Or maybe it was the cold. "I just heard the song you made. Good job by the way. Didn't know you were working on being famous as a musician, too."

She groaned and put her head in her arms for a moment. "Please forget that song ever exists!" She whined, face heating up. "It's embarrassing enough to know he had to speak of it again in front of so many people! Ugh...why did he have to do that?"

The words left his mouth before he could think. "Want to sing those notes again for me?"

The blatant invitation, intentional or not, had her shivering and heat flaring in an instant. What he looked like mere hours ago, so debonair and handsome, washed over her again. Her mouth gaped open, face heating up, sitting ramrod straight in her desk chair. "I...I -"

"Would you shut the hell up out there?!"

He jumped and banged his arm on the windowsill. He caressed the injured spot gingerly, looking to her after his eyes would open. She was up and pacing her room, mouth moving as she spoke to herself. He watched her reaction, licking his lips as a sense of anticipation speared his chest. It caused a surge of adrenaline and faster heartbeat. He sat for countless moments, eyes following her like a tennis ball bouncing across the court, mind whirling.

Don't think. Just go. Do it. What are you waiting for?

He watched her for a second more until his body reacted ahead of his brain. He quickly closed the window and grabbed his jacket off the floor. He skipped the stairs to the ground and hurried across crossed the lawn, throwing open the ground door.

She wouldn't have reacted that nervously if she was unaffected. She hadn't said for him to come over, but the way she was pacing said that she was warring with herself on his words. Would she have been so chaotic otherwise?

He wanted to think that's what it was. He hopped the steps, his thoughts turning to hope and his heart rate speeding up. This was how things were supposed to go, with his hurrying over to be with her however she allowed it and being next to her...enjoying their time together in what way they chose. He wanted to believe that things would get better after that bout of honesty and their brief conversation earlier. The feelings he had for her, had buried for her, were still there, ready to blossom again. Even when he tried to cast them away yet again, she refused to let them die.

He stopped at her door, chest heaving from the sudden exertion. She hadn't said anything about it being okay, but he knocked on the door anyway. He didn't hear anything and went for the lock, finding it undone and opened the door without her answering it.

She jerked back lest she get bowled over by him entering into her dorm. Hands went to herself as she trembled from his nearness, barely hearing or seeing the door shut. "I d – didn't see you...at y – your window... I didn't know...where you w – went..." She scurried back when he walked in, eyes wide and body already off-settled. "Y – you're here...faster... th – than I thought...y – you'd be..."

He followed her into the main area, eyes on her and feeling like he was stalking a bunny. A sexy, nervous bunny...

He kept following her until she stopped flush against the wall, his arms pressing against either side of her head and leaning down with a smile. "Hmm, this seems vaguely familiar..." He mused, staring into wide blue. A smile crept across his face, turning evil and roguish with what she was showing to him...so similar to that day...

"Am I too close?" He murmured, slowly closing the gap only a little.

Her mouth opened and snapped closed, only managing a choppy shake, denying it this time. Trembling hands clutched at themselves and her shirt as anticipation reared its head and overtook her.

"Do you like me, Marinette?" His voice lowered a notch, jeans already uncomfortable. He watched her lids lower as they focused on his mouth, bottom lip in her teeth. "Because I like you. A lot actually."

She harshly swallowed, feeling his breath fan her face and wishing he would just throw her on the bed and cover her entirely with his body. The clothes he had still looked very good, even if they cost hundreds of euro.

"I..." Teeth captured her lip again. His fingers rose and brushed across her chin, lightly clutching it with his thumb and forefinger. She tried to inhale, finding it hard. "Y...yes... I do."

His mouth stopped over her lips and it was almost painful not to finish the kiss. "Are you going to push me away again?"

"N...no..."

His lips tilted. "Hmm, that's good. Are you going to let me kiss you now?"

"P – please..."

He had wanted her for a long time, longer than he probably cared to admit. It had hidden itself inside his heart, becoming angrier at her lack of care. That only night they had been together had been great and he assumed days like it would continue. The lust he felt, what she had ignited from across the way last summer, blew up the second his lips touched hers.

His hands clutched at her arms, feeling them shake in his hold. "I want you." He mumbled around her mouth, pressing her body to his. "So much..." She was much too short to press against him and he missed her entirely when he tried. "What should I do to you?"

"Touch me." She breathed, arms clenched around his shoulders to keep herself near his height. "Everywhere. Tease me. Make me want you...want you so badly..."

He attacked her mouth at those words, one hand pressing the back of her head to his harshly. He kept her there, even though they both knew she had no intention of leaving. Even when she needed air and couldn't breathe, she would keep kissing him like that and drag him through insanity.

"Lay down then..." He let her go, sliding their bodies against each other as he helped her down and got a slight moan from her. "And tell me how I should tease you."

She had never heard such words from Nathaniel, but they were such a turn on from his voice that she ached from them alone. The promise of new play, of learning and doing something new, spurred her on.

She kneeled on the bed in front of him, just tall enough to reach his collarbone. Her hands roamed his chest, hearing his sudden exhale. "These pajamas are in the way." She murmured, lids lowering. "They should be taken off me somehow."

This was more than enough to make him double over. He had never done such foreplay with anyone. She was intense and his hands shot out when his brain powered down.

The sound of buttons popping had her only slightly worried that she wouldn't find them all tomorrow in order to sew everything back together. Then his mouth found her skin and she didn't give a shit about them anymore.

Her arms wound around his neck and he leaned down, one knee on her mattress. He inched his way closer, an arm snaking underneath her top and pressing her spine toward him. She went willingly, scratching at his clothes and panting.

His hands snaked down the back of her pants and found the back of her thighs. He gripped and pulled her to her back, her lips tearing from his with a surprised cry. He looked down at her with the lights fully on, licking his lips as she stared up at him in sudden discomfort. He stared for as long as he could keep himself away before his hands caught his descent onto her mattress and he leaned over her.

She stared at his clothes and his pants, eyes locking on his waist. She shivered, scooting back on reflex as one leg made the bed dip when he crawled forward. Her fingers twitched, hesitating only long enough for the bed to dip with his other leg, and then her hands went up.

She pulled his shirt up to his arms and licked her lips at the toned muscle awaiting her eyes. This was what she had missed the first time, now to see as much as she wanted. She leaned up, keeping him from covering her like she originally wanted. "Take off your shirt." She breathed, already pulling before he could move his arms. Her lips found his neck. "I want it off."

It was on the floor not even ten seconds later, her nails doing an amazing job of making his skin twitch. His head leaned back, eyes closed, just feeling her touch him. She looked so docile under him until she lashed back and demanded as much as he wanted from her. It was sexy and he wanted more.

She found the crook of his neck and licked it. His hands clenched, the breath trapping in his lungs. "I missed this the last time..." She breathed, smile creeping up. She pulled away enough to blow on the spot she had licked, feeling him jump a little. "I can't believe I missed this. I like the lights on much better..."

His eyes flew open when he felt hands on the clasp of his pants. The zipper sounded and then her hands dove down under fabric. He choked when she touched him, panted for air, eyes rolled into the back of his head as she moved with expertise that only she could possess. His hands found her hips and clutched at her pants, wanting to rip it off as well.

"I have so much to make up for." She murmured, licking his chest. Her hands kept moving as she shifted lower on the bed. "I'm a terrible person. How can I ever make it up to you? Maybe I can think of one thing..."

She was a coy little shit, but that was the last thing he could think when her lips fastened down on him. His hips bucked, a hiss leaving him, as he threatened to capsize entirely from the heat of her mouth. The sensation overtook him and the ability to breathe was hard. He gulped in air, a hand clutching at her hair at every time she made him jump, which was pretty much every other second.

She wanted to make him come, but she wanted to feel him, too. More than this, so much more. She suddenly let go and shifted, facing away from him and looking over her shoulder with a small smile. "I don't like being left out of all the fun."

He wanted to stare at the ass presenting itself until the sun rose, but he had so many other things to do. His spine held him up as he arched forward, kissing as much backside as he could while his hands tried not to yank the last of her clothing off. She helped get it past her knees and then he moved forward without any other thought. Her cry mingled with his as he panted at the feel of her around him. She was utterly dangerous in this position and his hands brushed from the curve of her waist down to her thighs and back.

He felt so good. Every movement had her gasping and trembling in his hold. The feel of his hands on her skin had her mouth moving and begging him to touch her like that again. To move like that again. To go slow so she could feel him clearly. To feel him forever.

He tried to go via her wishes, but she was tempting him with those noises she kept making. He leaned over, hands pulling her slight frame flush against him as best as he could. His fingers pinched and massaged as he moved, getting deafening rewards in his ear.

"Y – yea..." She breathed, one hand wrapping around his neck, the other lowering between her thighs. "You feel...so good..." She gasped when he moved forward harshly at those words and her spine arched toward him. "T – toy...with me - ah!"

He pinched a breast and sped up just a bit, eyes sliding closed at the heat of her. She squirmed in his hold, praising him for the speed and touch. Her fingers found herself and rubbed, begging him to go faster to match the pace of her hand.

He pushed her forward to the bed, a hand grasping her shoulders as he sped up more, teeth clenched as he tried not to lose it. He fought himself so much, trying to breathe and continue as fast and hard as she wanted...as he wanted.

She was almost there! "Just...just...a little m – more..." She breathed, fingers wet.

Her gasp was enough of a warning before she clenched around him and he moved. "You're mine." He nearly growled, grabbing hair and pulling her head back. She gasped through everything, not saying a word about the dominance he suddenly held over her. Something came over him as powerful as her orgasm and he moved against her as harshly as he dared without losing it. Something in the depths of his emotions that had been too forgotten and never considered.

He could only last so long before his body gave out on him. He pushed and pushed as hard as he could, quicker...harder...move faster...feel her to her bones...

The feeling overcame him with such swiftness that he clenched his teeth at it. He quickly pulled out and and dotted her back, clutching her hips as he spasmed.

Her chest heaved, feeling heat over the chill of her back. Her thighs trembled, hands struggling to keep her back straight so she didn't mess up her bed.

His arms fell on either side of hers, somehow supporting his weight. He panted, hovering above her back to keep from making a bigger mess than he already did. His head dropped to part of her shoulder, gently kissing her skin. His lips moved a little and brushed against it slowly.

The motion and feelings it evoked weren't lost on her. Teeth captured her lip as she stared at her comforter. She refused to allow herself to feel awkward again after everything they just did. The heat between them was enticing and she liked it. He was different in every way and she latched onto that difference to keep the only other man she had ever known out of her head.

"Don't move. I'll get something for you." He slid off the bed and grabbed a wash cloth from her bathroom, doing as good of a job as he could. He eyed her back, wanting to lick the curve of her spine at the waist, but restrained himself. It was midnight after all. If he could sleep here tonight, which he hoped he could, they could part in the morning and hopefully hang out if he got any moments tomorrow earlier than now.

"I got it as best I could." He mumbled, getting up and tossing the cloth in the bathroom sink. "If you want to clean up, I can help you if you need."

She sat down on her heels to keep the mess of herself off her blanket. "I think I'll clean up real quick...but I can get it."

He watched her slide from the bed, keeping track for anything bad about what they just did. He sat on the corner, meeting her eyes when she abruptly stopped a pace away and turned to face him. He kept his face neutral, watching her eyes search his.

She hesitated for what felt like forever, staring down at him and taking in the width of his shoulders and sweaty hair. He looked even more attractive, if that was even possible. She didn't want to move away...she didn't want to leave his side just yet.

Giving in to the urge, she moved forward and straddled his lap...wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly.

He was still in her hold for all of a second before his arms went around her waist and held her just as tightly. The initial thought that she wanted more left, the need to touch her and feel her close rising.

She swallowed harshly at the amount of new feelings toward this person, jaw clenching and wondering if she should say anything and ruin the moment. She felt she wanted to say something, but she restrained herself for heartbeats before the need won out.

"I'm sorry." She breathed. She listened to his exhale after a second, nothing else coming out after. Her arms tightened. "Really I am. I want to make it up to you. I want to be with you. I do...really." Her eyes peeked open and idly stared at the comforter. "I don't know what I feel and I don't like throwing words around carelessly. I..." Her lips tightened, forcing herself to say the words she feared would only create problems. "I don't feel as much as you do...but I'll try to catch up. I...want to...I want to catch up."

His arms tightened a little, eyes watering. His emotions for her felt relieved at her words and engulfed him. He let himself feel them, to acknowledge them, knowing that she finally did as well.

His hold loosened and he pulled back to stare at her. He let her see how her words affected him, how they caused the tears to pool in his eyes. Her brow furrowed at the thought of having caused him pain until he smiled through them and leaned his forehead against hers. He had nothing to respond, not wanting to mess anything with words.

He almost wanted to speak of his feelings to her, only truly becoming aware of the depth of them in this second. They were there, taking over his heart and crushing his chest, but he forced himself into silence. He was given that bit of hope with her final words, knowing that she wanted to reciprocate what he felt as strongly as he already did.

He decided not to speak of words of love until she was ready to say them back.

He felt a little disappointed that he had to wait again, but told himself he could only do things from now until then to help her feelings grow stronger. She was willing and wouldn't turn away. She was going to make herself work on it for her sake...for his.

He suddenly realized she was ready to head into the bathroom, but stopped herself because of she wanted to do this instead. It made him smile a little. She didn't shy away from what she wanted to do and he appreciated the gesture.

His hands cupped her cheeks, lips finding her forehead. "Go get cleaned up so I can as well." He quietly side-stepped. He watched her nod and silently walk away, putting his head in his hands with a sigh when the door clicked closed.

He idly stared at her desk and everything covering it, chin heavily resting on his fingers. He felt more than tormented, but he was here and she had said nothing to turn him away tonight. He wanted to push his luck as much as he could to see where she would stop him for now.

The door eventually clicked open, her head peeking out. She felt so shy with someone she had just slept with and it was stupid. She blinked when they locked eyes, quickly shuffling away from the wall hiding her, two towels already covering her. "I'll grab you another towel." She mumbled, scurrying to the armoire.

He stood, still fully naked, and tugged at the towel around her body. "This will do." He mused, half grinning when she gave him an indignant look. He threw it over a shoulder and looked down when she slightly glared at him as she faced him.

She watched him eye everything under her neck and crossed her arms. If it was possible to undress her skin, he was attempting to do so right now. "Go get cleaned up." She grumbled, face heating.

He smiled and flicked at the towel around her head. She pouted at the treatment, looking up and finding him all too amused. "That's better." He replied, watching damp hair spill around her shoulders. His hand came up and ran through her locks, stopping deep in the back of her head. "Much better..."

Her heart thudded as she gently met his lips. The breath caught in her throat as she felt the tenderness of the emotions he expressed. They were so strong that her chest tightened and her eyes teared. She pulled away and kept her eyes closed so he couldn't see them. She threw the towel over her head to make it look like she was going to towel-dry her hair so she could wipe her eyes dry.

His hand ran down her front, stopping at her waist as he took a few steps toward the bathroom. "I'll be quick and then we can get some sleep, yeah?" He didn't wait for an answer as he closed the door and stared at the bathroom nearly identical to his, extensive products loitering the same areas.

She found her pajama top, lips pursing as she stared at how many buttons he had torn off. She looked around her room, knowing it would be a search because they were opaque white, mostly matching the floor. She would find some time tomorrow while he was at the venue. She sighed. Maybe the earlier statement was a little much...

She listened to the muted shower spray, knowing she was going to have to put time aside whenever he had it and figure out something better when March showed up. She had made him wait and she was going to have to spend the next few days in his shoes.

Her head jerked up when she realized how close to the end of February it was...and what she was about ready to miss.

"Shit!" She exclaimed, hurrying to her phone. It was just barely Friday; she still had time. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew...thank god. I didn't miss anything."

"Miss what? What did you miss?"

She jumped and almost dropped her phone. She quickly caught it after the second bounce from her hands and put it on her desk. She turned over, mouth open to answer him, when her jaw slackened entirely at seeing him with wet hair and a towel wrapped around his waist.

He stopped in front of her, hands on his hips. A brow rose when she didn't look up past his chest. It took a second to recognize what she was doing and then a sly grin formed. He leaned down and met wide eyes, seeing her tremble a little. "Cat got your tongue?" He asked, flexing his fingers under his chin in cat-like fashion.

She mentally shook herself and told herself that they needed sleep. "I just remembered that my friend's birthday is coming up this Saturday. I thought I forgot it."

He straightened and headed for her bed. "Oh? Which one?"

"Ivan's. I think I might make him something for his guitar."

He gave a hum to show he was listening, even as he tossed the towel on the floor near the bathroom and threw her comforter wide so he could get under it. He looked to the one pillow she had before claiming his side at the corner.

She watched everything, seeing him stark naked and wondering how she was supposed to get any sleep tonight! "Y – you...you're not going to wear anything to bed?"

He grinned at the sudden deja vu. "Sometimes I don't." He repeated, feeling as sly as she did when she took up his bed.

Her face flamed and she buried her face in her hands. "I'm...just...you...no. I'm not going to get any sleep tonight!" Her head shook slowly and refused to stop. "I'm done. I can't do this. You're going to kill me!"

"That's my line." He mumbled, seeing part of her chest amongst the open top. "We don't have to sleep tonight if you don't want to..."

Hands shot away from her face. "I have class tomorrow and so do you!" She hotly denied, feeling mortified at doing that much over that many hours. Her face burned hot as the sun and she almost wanted to take the floor, but refused to lose to him.

He grinned and patted the open space next to him. "I won't spoon you if it'll cause trouble for you." He kidded, watching her stomp her foot. He wanted to laugh. "Why don't you just sleep on me then since there's only one pillow."

She mumbled obscenities in Mandarin as she went for the light, knowing he was well-versed in them, even as she climbed in bed next to him. "You're doing this on purpose." She retorted, shifting to get comfy.

He grinned and pulled the covers over them. "Of course I am. Is your alarm set?"

"Always. When is your class?"

"After yours I believe." He yawned, sleep quickly catching up after the whirlwind that was today.

Her hand lightly curled over his chest, looking to it in the dark. "I have class till early afternoon. What about you?" It was hard to keep the dejection out of her voice and she kicked herself for sounding like a sad puppy.

"Same. The only difference is that I'll probably get pulled out of it every morning until the show is done. Father is pretty predictable that way."

She clicked her tongue at that, but knew that models had to be ready for a lot of headache around looking pretty. She sighed and snuggled against the crook, lips pursing. "I guess I'll text you when you're not busy." She mumbled, wondering what she was going to do with her afternoons now that she was trying to change her ways. This was going to take a lot of rescheduling and learning to get things done when she could the second she knew he was back at his room.

"If I'm not done at midnight again, I'll see if you're still awake and maybe come over. Or you can sleep in my bed. Either way works."

She smiled. "I'll leave my door unlocked for you. Odds are, I'll be up checking the website. I'll shut it down we meet up though...I promise."

"I know you will." He murmured, leaning over to kiss her hair. "Goodnight, Marinette."

"Good night, Romeo."

He chuckled and gave her shoulder a squeeze.


	45. This is harrassment

Dawn came way too early and the sun was too shiny for how late they had both been up. She was conscious first, knowing he was still asleep by the light snoring he was doing. She remained lying at his side, working on the crook in his shoulder, and enjoying the silence with her eyes closed.

She felt the world stop as she rested there, feeling the bare skin of his leg with her feet. Her hand rested over the hot skin of his chest under the blankets. They were both warm and he smelled good. The feeling of staying with someone who could go back to his own room whenever he wished hit her with the an odd sense of nostalgia at how she used to spend nights in Nathaniel's room...only twisted to match her new scenario and surroundings. The scene was similar, though not the same. It was different in so many ways, but the pleasantness of it was still there and she didn't think she had missed it as much as she currently did.

She listened to him sleep, eventually peeling her ear away from his heartbeat to look at his face. She turned with agonizingly slow speed so the hand around her waist didn't fall off. She turned as much to her stomach as she could and propped her head up with an arm, a small smile slowly appearing.

His hair was disheveled from the pillow, his lashes spilling out over closed lids. He was so handsome and she could probably stare at him for as long as she could until he woke, but never feel the need to look away. The straightness of his nose, the angle of his chin, the bob of his Adam's apple...her free hand rose on its own and gently traced his profile from forehead to lips. She stopped at the slight part of his mouth, fingers cupping his cheek as her thumb slowly moved his lower lip. He slept through it all until her lips lowered to the corner of his mouth, daring a butterfly's kiss.

He shifted with a groan, the blissful darkness penetrated by the morning rays he didn't want to come so soon. The night was so late, the morning too soon. He tried to pull the covers up over his head, bury his head under the pillow, but all of those things were impossible because of something stopping him.

Or someone...as his brain slowly reminded him once it booted up.

An eye peeked open the barest of cracks to find softly smiling blue nearby. His other lid opened, a sleepy smile coming once her profile registered in his brain. He took note of her posture and how she was still looking at him. His skin tuned in to hers against his face and he kissed her thumb before it could move away. It earned him a quiet giggle and his smile widened.

"Good morning." She murmured, feeling like using Mandarin.

It was kind of nice to use her second language whenever she wanted to, knowing he would understand. It felt good on a level she had never known outside of her immediate family. That was different because she was raised learning it from her mother. She had a feeling she would be using it more around him just because she could, but she didn't mind in the slightest.

"Good morning." He responded in kind. Using her language made her happy and he took note of it. He stretched and yawned for a moment before turning to face her, arm cradling her head. "What time is it?"

"I don't know." She mumbled. "I don't really care right now though."

His eyes softened at her choice of words. Whether intentional or not, they meant something to him and his hand moved to stroke her cheek. He marveled how soft her skin was, getting a pleasant hum for his services. He kept it up, slowly going through her hair next.

She gave a groan as his nails lightly scratched her scalp with every pass. "You're really good at that..." She drawled, brain turning off with his ministrations.

He grinned, not stopping. "You're putty in my hands." He cracked. One eye opened and let him know his comment was dumb.

He took in the collar just peeking out from the covers and mentally tallied her position next to his. He battled which way to move for a few more strokes of her hair before pulling her torso on top him, leaving her legs to dangle somewhere on her side of the bed.

She gasped at the sudden movement, cheeks heating at feeling him with most of her upper body. The ability to speak vanished as she stared into dark green, ruffled hair, and the barest traces of stubble. There wouldn't be much of a five o'clock shadow she suddenly realized and wondered if he'd ever be able to grow anything out.

He watched her eyes dart around his face, wide and so innocent-looking. His arms came up with a deep inhale and wrapped around her back to pin her to him. "What are you thinking?"

Her nose wrinkled. "That you should go brush your teeth." She retorted, suddenly worried about her own languid state.

He snorted. "And here I thought you were admiring me."

A brow rose. "Someone has a big head."

He smirked. "Not right now, but if you give me five seconds..."

She slapped his chest with an annoyed cry. "Don't ruin the moment!" She retorted, looking unhappy at the innuendo...even if her heart sped up.

It suddenly dawned on her just how he was in bed, where her body was, and how little of clothing he had on. His arms were strong and they easily kept her there...not that she really wanted to escape though. She could feel muscle in so many spots against her stomach and her fingers itched to roam what she was slightly touching right now.

Too bad her alarm took that time to go off.

Her head dropped onto his chest with a sigh. "The real world calls..." She grumbled, making an attempt to get up.

His arms kept her on his chest.

"It'll shut off on its own in a minute." He quietly responded, not wanting to let her up just yet. His heart sped up, breath caught in his throat. She stared at him with "that look" in her eyes and he quickly became aware of the gallop of her heart above his. His lips pressed together for a moment as he eyed her face and how close it was. "Are you going to be mad if I kiss you?"

Her mouth scrunched up. "I haven't even brushed my teeth yet."

One hand snaked up her back. "Now who's ruining the moment?" His hand pushed her head down, barely getting a second of her mouth before she pulled away with annoyances for the stunt.

"Ew! Gross!"

He mentally calculated the quick ability to do what he wanted before putting the plan into action. One hand gripped the covers and threw them off enough to keep from getting stuck under her just before he rolled on top of her.

She was too taken aback at such quick movements to be able to react. Her mouth opened to tell him to let her up when her snooze went off, but his mouth found her neck and all she got out was a gasp.

Her back arched into him and that was all the encouragement he needed. He undid the buttons on her top with much more care than last night and let his hands wander, trying very hard to ignore the inane song playing somewhere across the room. He tried to focus on her responding to his mouth and hands, but the song just refused to quit.

"Okay, go turn that damn thing off." He mumbled in French, sitting up.

She blinked, trying to pick her brain back up from where he had tossed it and gulp enough air into her lungs at the same time. She stared at his muscles as his arms moved, as his legs shifted to rest under him...to his lap which was ready to go had they not been interrupted yet again.

It took till the song to quiet itself before she had enough willpower to sit up and get off the bed to shut her phone off. She set a timer for another twenty minutes and worried about the time she had before she needed to be in class...before they both needed to be in class. History taught her that teachers could be fooled, but only for so long. She had been gone for too many days already and didn't want to mess up again...but...

Her eyes strayed to the bed behind her.

He was watching her and that alone made the burning worse. Her head quickly whipped back to the device in her hands, pressing the start button and setting it on her desk with shaking fingers. "I p – put it for...another twenty m – minutes..." She stuttered, leaning against the desk in her nervousness.

Such actions weren't lost on him. His lips tilted, sitting to cross-legged on her bed and held a hand out. "Come here." He quietly ordered, voice low.

She harshly swallowed, wondering how she was even supposed to find the will to move, let alone get near him without her legs giving out. With the way he sat, fully turned on and not afraid to show it, he enticed her to the point of not thinking...of being unable to feel her feet.

Somehow, she managed to cross the small space, to extend a hand to his, and put her knees on either side of his thighs on the bed. She stared down, feeling unable to breathe, as she looked into the eyes ready to tear her apart. Last night roamed through her head and her legs trembled as they held her up, so close to the lower half of his body.

He wanted to punctuate the air with sexy comments and verbal foreplay, but he was too struck by those hooded blue eyes staring down at him. She stared like she was in a trance and he had put her there, but she had also done the same to him.

He felt his arms move on their own, hands coming up to squeeze her backside, getting a quick exhale from her. She jerked and arched against him, hands steadying herself on his shoulders. He managed to look down and found the open top almost brushing against his face. His hands promptly rose and yanked on the collar, pulling her shoulders back and exposing her breasts to his face.

She cried out when his mouth moved forward. Her fingers squeezed the muscles around his neck, aching to sit on him. Her head fell back, eyes closed, as he continued on, in no hurry to stop.

He had played with breasts before. Hers weren't the first. But, they were probably the perkiest he had ever seen, small enough to fit into his hands easily, yet large enough to cause damage to his patience. His fingers traced the arch near her arms, the inner curve at her chest, and licked the nipples she practically shoved in his face.

Her hands clenched in his hair, panting to get as much air in her lungs as possible. She couldn't take this! The pressure he applied was strong, but it was nice. He wasn't gentle as she had always known, but the intensity had her absolutely shaking and wanting so much more.

He wished he had woken up earlier so they could take as much time as they wanted for the morning. He didn't want her to miss class again, really he didn't, but he would have to be taken away from her at gunpoint to leave right now. He wanted to bury himself in her and hear her cry out, feel her tighten around him, watch her come.

She all but clawed at his back when the magnitude suddenly increased drastically. She whimpered against it, warring with herself to do more that would make her feel even more, or let him continue what he was currently doing because she didn't want to move right now.

Just mere millimeters away. So close...he was almost there...

His hands moved from their position at her front to grasp her knees and buckle her to his lap.

She fell with a cry, hands out to catch her. She blindly shuffled closer, to get more comfortable, when she was suddenly aware of a very serious problem.

He looked down, hand clutching himself as he forgot one huge issue. "We'll have to just work around these I guess..." He breathed, moving himself at the apex of her thighs around her pajama pants.

She cried out and he quickly sucked in a breath. Her hips pushed forward, teeth trying to tear her lower lip up. "Do that...again..." She panted, somehow opening her eyes to find his.

He looked up into stormy blue, his hand bending him against the heat and wet he could feel through cotton. He was entranced by the way her mouth fell open, the way her eyes rolled into the back of her head, the way she pushed back. She stared at him unblinking, finding his gaze every time passion tried to tear it away from his.

She wasn't going to last if he kept doing that, but she wanted him to keep doing that. She wanted to feel him from the inside, but this felt too amazing to let him stop. She rocked against him again and again, using her hands to gain leverage to move as her legs rose and dipped her. Her thighs burned in their exhaustion and still she kept going.

The sound of a quick ring tone suddenly split the air.

"Ignore it." He panted, watching her chest bounce as she moved. He squeezed himself, hand stroking slowly as he moved in time with her.

"That's not...my alarm..." She managed, stopping enough to look over. Her hands clenched against muscle when he tried to bring her back to him, to give him her undivided attention.

Her head turned back, but only for a second when it happened again.

"What the hell is that?" He growled, feeling frustrated and so close when she stopped.

"My text message tone." She bit out, glaring at the desk for interrupting them. A sudden realization hit her and she shot off the bed in total annoyance. "That son of a bitch had better not be messaging me this early in the morning...no matter what I'm doing right now."

The tone of her voice and tense word choosing had him pause long enough to keep from throwing her on the bed and yanking the bottoms off her. He tried to take a deep breath against the pain of being so close and being denied release, of being able to watch her enjoy everything.

She picked up the phone and unlocked it, finding the same, unknown number that had been showing up for the last few days now.

 _You're_ _terrible!_

 _Give_ _it_ _back_ _already!_

"What the hell is this person talking about?!" She mumbled, throwing out a few more swear words in Mandarin at feeling so denied after all that passion.

This was not how she wanted to be late for class!

He stood as things subsided and went for his boxers. He slipped them on to be somewhat normal and walked to stand behind her. "What's the matter?" His brow furrowed, eyes on the message. "What does that mean?"

She heaved a sigh, wanting to throw the expensive device to the ground. "I don't know, but this has been going on for about three or four days now." She glared at the screen, a finger scrolling up through the other messages.

He followed the previous messages as she went through them slowly for him to see. The number wasn't on her contacts list, but it had a Paris area code.

 _You're_ _the_ _lowest_ _of_ _the_ _low!_

 _You_ _don't_ _deserve_ _to_ _breathe_ _the_ _same_ _air!_

 _Whore!_

 _Give_ _it_ _back._ _It's_ _not_ _yours!_

His brow went up when related words of ill will flashed across her screen, "scum" and "phony" on the list. "What the hell?" He mumbled, too confused about the whole thing.

"That's what I said when I first got this." She sighed, turning off the alarm that sounded. She put the phone down, only able to shake her head. "I already deleted a few of them the first day, thinking they were a wrong number. When they kept showing up, I just ignored them."

He gave her a strange look. "If this is some kind of bad prank, you might want to take it to the police."

"What are they going to do? Take the person's phone away? They'll just text me with a different number. It might even be a stolen phone for all I know..." She frowned thoughtfully. "I don't know how this person got my phone number, but I bet if I blocked that phone, the person would get a different one and keep this up."

"So block the idiot." He retorted, hands going to her shoulders. "As many times as it takes. Don't put up with those words. You didn't do anything wrong for someone to send you such nasty texts."

Her mouth scrunched up with a slow nod, looking to her phone again. It was silent, though she almost expected another one. The mysterious annoyance had a tendency to send them a few at a time at the most random times of the day. They were strange, but never failed to ruin her good mood that had been building ever since she resolved herself to try for his sake.

"I'll have to worry about it later." She mumbled, mentally redirecting herself to the time she saw before she shut the screen off. "We need to get ready and try to be able to think for class."

He sighed as she moved away for her daytime clothes. "So this means I can't steal you away for another ten minutes and finish what we started?"

She looked over her shoulder from the armoire, lips slowly curling. She stared his way, looking coy until her eyes demurely lowered. "I've never done that before... I'll have to admit, I look forward to doing it again sometime." She looked his way, evil smile donning her features. "Maybe if you don't have to shake your little tush on the catwalk too late, you can finish that later tonight."


	46. Finding out who did it

It had been a long few weeks and she was lucky she even managed to remember her friend's birthday, let alone get anything made for him in time before she was late. The initial guitar idea was stupid, but she knew Ivan wasn't one to gush over cloth type things that she had made. He was something of a challenge in the fashion world, and she had little time to get anything done.

It was the first time she was happy that Adrien was busy with the runway so she had time after class to agonize on exactly what she wanted to make and get it done.

She spent a few minutes pacing her room, trying to run through what she'd already gotten him or what he may need. It was hard because she hadn't seen him for so long and he wasn't one to talk about himself, unlike Rose or Juleka. Those two were much easier to read and make things for.

Blue looked to where her phone was. There was one way to find out what he might need...

 _Hey_ _Mylene,_ _are_ _you_ _busy?_

She didn't think it was a good idea to bother Ivan's girlfriend during the afternoon. She didn't know if Mylene was still at the publisher's or working on a book or getting ready for his birthday the next day. She held onto hope for about five minutes before putting her phone down with a sigh.

"Well...I guess I can always brainstorm from when I saw him at Noel..." She mumbled, going for a pad and pencil.

The next thirty minutes proved slightly fruitful with a list of items she also wanted to make for Lucky Charm as a normal thing. The brainstorm turned out to derail her initial plans by delving into each item as if she were making it to put up on the website.

By the time she was deep in sketching idea number three, her phone rang.

She quickly put the pad down and scurried to her desk, typing in the password and pulling up the text she had. Thankfully, it was who she really wanted to talk to and not the anonymous pain in the ass of the last few days.

 _Sorry_ _I_ _responded_ _so_ _late,_ _Marinette._ _What_ _do_ _you_ _need?_

She got comfortable in the desk chair, thumbs going for the keyboard.

 _I_ _need_ _ideas_ _for_ _tomorrow!_ _I_ _have_ _something_ _of_ _a_ _list,_ _but_ _I_ _don't_ _know_ _if_ _Ivan_ _will_ _like_ _any_ _of_ _them._

 _I'm_ _sure_ _he'll_ _like_ _anything_ _you_ _make,_ _Marinette._ _It's_ _the_ _thought_ _that_ _counts._

She gave an irate look to the message history. Mylene said stuff like that all the time! It was true, but she wanted to really wow him for his birthday!

 _I_ _know_ _it_ _is,_ _but_ _I_ _still_ _want_ _to_ _get_ _him_ _something_ _useful._ _Does_ _he_ _need_ _any_ _clothing_ _or_ _accessories_ _that_ _you_ _know_ _of?_

There was a pause long enough that told her Mylene must be thinking of something concrete to give her. A foot started tapping against the floor as she waited, eyes drifting back to her list.

Maybe she should name off a few things to Mylene and see if any of those things sounded good. Those two had been going out since Ivan got up the courage in middle school and had been going strong as long as Alya and Nino. Mylene was the only one to go to with questions like these.

 _I'm_ _sorry,_ _Marinette._ _I_ _can't_ _think_ _of_ _anything_ _he_ _really_ _needs_ _off_ _the_ _top_ _of_ _my_ _head._

She didn't want to give up on this. She knew there had to be something! Everyone had something that they liked to wear for fashion, no matter what it was!

She spent the next ten minutes picking Mylene's brain for the last few things she had seen Ivan wear. She had Mylene describe them as best as possible, finally calling the woman instead of making a book over text. She felt like a police officer trying to get a description of the scene, or Alya when she was on one of her reporter highs.

Then, the little piece was found.

"Are you sure you saw it?" She asked, stopping the pacing she had been doing.

"Yes. It wasn't much of anything. I think he got it from his parents for Noel, but I've seen him wear it a bit. I never asked him about it, but I think he likes it because you know he doesn't do what he doesn't like."

A grin split her face. "That's a huge help. Thanks so much, Mylene! I owe you a new tam the next time I see you."

Mylene laughed. "You don't have to go that far. I know you want his present to be special." Pause. "Oh...I...didn't want to say anything about it...but...I...well..."

Her brow furrowed at the almost worried tone. "What's the matter? Did something happen?" The stretch of silence had her fearfully clutching the phone. "Mylene?"

There was a sigh. "You know that...we invited all of Ivan's friends...including Nathaniel...right?"

She stopped and stared at the wall across the way. Such a thought had oddly not occurred to her for some reason. She didn't know why she expected to go to Ivan's birthday party and not expect Nathaniel to be there as well.

Her mouth fell open, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"Ah..." She mumbled, eyes falling to the ground. "That's right..." Her tongue nervously swiped out over her lips. "I forgot." She blinked when a thought suddenly hit. "Wait...how do you know?"

"I did a reading the other day and got some bad news." Mylene reported, voice subdued. "I was in between chapters and got the urge to. I got The Tower and was confused because there hasn't been anything bad happening in my life for a long time. I meditated on it and did a reading on everyone. The Tower showed again in your reading, and Nathaniel's. You also had the Hanged Man, while he had the Death card. I sent him a text and found out what happened." There was another sigh. "I'm sorry, Marinette..."

A hand rubbed her face. Of course Mylene would have found out about that kind of stuff. She had known the woman for years and had seen her do all sorts of amazing things that denied logic. If anyone was attuned to the emotions of all their friends, it was Mylene Haprele.

She had no words for the comfort that was late in coming. It had been only a few weeks now that such an event occurred and it felt like old news, but to have one of her friends rehash it made her feel unsettled in her stomach. Her free arm wrapped around her midsection, plopping down in the chair with a sigh. "Well...I guess...these things happen..." She mumbled, trying to keep from getting capsized by her own emotions.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to. I said the same to Nathaniel, but he said he wasn't going to miss the chance to hang out with his friends on a special day."

Her face went into her hand again. "That's what I think, too..." She mumbled, the feeling increasing. "I haven't seen you guys for about three months now and I'd love to spend time with you all." Teeth took hold of her lip at the thought of being there with him. "I just...don't know...if I could...with Nathaniel there. It's kinda...too soon, you know?"

"I understand, Marinette." Pause. "What if I ask Nathaniel what time he plans on being there? Maybe you can come over after he leaves?"

She heaved a sigh, lips pursing. She didn't want to have to tiptoe around her own friends for her sake, and she also didn't want them putting themselves out for her sake.

But she didn't think she'd be able to spend any length of time there without the need to leave either.

This had turned out so much more complicated than she ever wanted it to be. She thought she had cut her losses and moved on, only to find out such a detail had never been considered. She would not be able to hang out with anyone in any social gathering for a long time without worrying if Nathaniel was going to show up. She didn't want to be paranoid about seeing him, wondering if he would start shouting at her or crying because she was resolute in breaking things off this time. She also didn't want to hear about him from the others or see looks of pity if they sat in the same room together.

A hand went through her hair in agitation. She felt solid on the change in people in her life, even if things were still fairly new. Perhaps it had been time, but she was too stubborn to let go of him entirely. She had made the change and distance would help him make his, too. But, if she got together with everyone, that might not happen very well, especially if they kept mentioning him. They would feel sorry for her much longer than she would and she didn't want to get mad at Rose bringing Nathaniel up and "how good they looked together" or how "sorry" Mylene was about the whole thing.

But...she didn't want to get into anything with him at Ivan's birthday party either...

"Maybe just this once." She conceded, feeling irritated at herself. "It is Ivan's day after all. I don't want to spoil it for him."

"That's fine, I understand. Oh! Do you think you could bring Nathaniel's wallet with you when you come? I got a request for it if I should ever talk to you."

 _You're_ _a_ _little_ _thief!_ _How_ _long_ _do_ _you_ _plan_ _on_ _keeping_ _it?!_

 _Give_ _it_ _back_ _already!_

She turned to stone, the phone almost slipping from her hand. She barely heard Mylene's voice on the other line when she didn't say anything for minutes. Her eyes slowly widened, mouth falling open.

She had never thought him capable of such a thing. He wasn't a mean person, even if she knew he had a temper. Her mind threw back to the time he was flirting with her in the lunchroom and someone randomly came up and asked her out. That time when he had practically launched himself out of his seat had her flabbergasted at the sudden change in demeanor.

She didn't want to believe it. It felt like she was betrayed somehow...but it did explain how her number got out.

She didn't remember giving it out to anyone and there was no way it was on the website. With as busy as she had been the last few months, she didn't talk to anyone outside of family and friends. There was no one she could have given it to and she knew her friends wouldn't have casually given her number out without alerting her. If they had given her number for business reasons as they had in the past, which was different, they always told her so she was aware.

Giving it out to someone wouldn't explain the string of malicious texts anyway.

There was no one else it could be that had the motive. She didn't want it to be him, but it did explain a lot. All of the hate, the words of ill will toward her character. They had been too well-timed shortly after they broke up. The line was not in her contacts, but if she was going to be mean to someone, she wouldn't want to be identified either.

She shivered as something cold poked up her spine and almost worried she was going to be sick.

" _This...you...you're_ _a_ _fucking_ _piece_ _of_ _work._ _You're_ _breaking_ _up_ _with_ _me_ _and_ _running_ _to_ _Adrien_ _Agreste._ _How_ _convenient_ _for_ _you."_

"Marinette? Are you okay? Please answer me!"

"I...I'm sorry..." She mumbled, hands shaking. "I...didn't think about him being there. The whole thing...just...kinda hit me."

"I'm sorry to bring it up, Marinette. You really don't have to come if you're feeling that bad about it. I won't tell you to stay away though if you want to see Ivan."

" _Luckily,_ _we_ _know_ _model_ _boy_ _will_ _gladly_ _accept_ _you_ _in_ _my_ _place_ _and_ _you_ _don't_ _seem_ _to_ _care_ _one_ _way_ _or_ _another."_

The last few moments they had spent together were filled with rage, but that was a given. She didn't think he'd skip off happy-as-you-please after all the time they had spent together. After all the emotions she had wrung out of him and laid out to dry alone without her.

His anger went through her, the words he spat out combined with the text messages and whirled around her head. Her stomach rolled along with it and she wondered if she would truly be sick in the middle of her dorm room.

 _You're scum!_

 _You don't deserve to breathe the same air!_

When the shakiness was subdued with deep breaths, anger at the last week started setting in. All of the texts she had received at the most random of times, one of them interrupting her this morning during her time with Adrien, had disrupted her mood and her life for days. They were childish, they were hateful, and they were unrelenting.

Blue eyes iced over as her face smoothed out.

"You know what...just check and see when he gets there and let me know. I'll plan accordingly." Her eyes narrowed a little. "And I'll be sure to bring his wallet with me."

01010

 _He says he thinks he'll get there late in case you wanted to be there first. He said it was fine to let you know._

The text had her annoyed for one big reason. She was ready to meet Nathaniel after all that had happened and try to be cordial to him at Ivan's party, but he had chosen to not meet her and let her know he was actively going to avoid her.

She supposed she shouldn't be mad at him. She tried to be understanding about his side of the whole thing and wondered if she would be mad if he broke up with her because he felt there was nothing between them anymore. She tried hard to put herself in his shoes...but she couldn't forgive him for the week of texts that tried to ruin her slowly but surely.

"Thanks Marinette. I really like it."

She blinked and smiled Ivan's way. "I tried to make it easy to put on and adjust. I couldn't remember the width of your wrists so that's why it's so long. You can wrap it around a few times and have it look nice. Since it's just a basic pattern, that doesn't affect how you wear it or with what."

"You're always so talented and I often wonder if there's anything you can't do, Marinette."

She waved off Rose's compliment as she watched the woman admire her work. "It's just a simple braid. Anyone can do it."

"Yea, but it looks so professional! I mean, not that you're not at this point in time, but the Ladybug button is so subtle and well-crafted."

"I agree with Rose." Juleka added, pawing at Ivan's wrist that he patronizingly held out for them. "It goes with the black, but the red is subdued well by the spots. Since you made it too thin to put your logo on there, it still speaks to your brand, even if you didn't put anything else on it."

She nodded, staring at it with a critical eye. "Yea...I kind of wanted to do something with 'LC' at least. All your band mates will probably think you're into ladybugs now for no reason and tease you."

Ivan smirked. "They've known for a long time that you make me things. I'm pretty sure they're going to want one when anyway they find me wearing it during practice."

She grinned. "Theirs will be available upon purchase only."

Mylene cleared her throat as she sat down next to her. She leaned closer as Rose and Juleka started going off about wanting one in different colors and wondering what she'd charge them. "Marinette," She whispered, "it's almost the hour. Nathaniel left about fifteen minutes ago and should be here any second."

She looked at the text message Mylene showed her that had the time-stamp on it, telling her when he was heading out. She nodded and stood, purse still over her torso with his wallet in it. "I think I'll just go use the bathroom real quick before I head out. I'll try not to be too long." She mumbled, getting up and heading away from the small living room at Ivan's tiny apartment. She closed and locked the door for a few moments, leaning against it and tried to calculate the distance it would take by bus and then the walk.

How much time did she want to give him? Did she want to let him give Ivan his birthday present first? Sit down and chat? Say hello? She didn't really feel like starting right in, but the more she stewed in the bathroom she was purposely holed up in, the more she wanted to jump the gun and get right into it.

Anger bubbled in her stomach, making her nauseous and rolling the wine and cupcakes she had brought from the bakery.

She pulled out her phone and opened up Adrien's text log. She needed something to distract herself and keep her mood from erupting to a full-blown volcano by the time she saw him. She had to be cordial; she didn't want to ruin Ivan's birthday entirely when he had been having a good day so far.

A smile peeked through her bad mood at Adrien's flirting and adorable words from today. She scrolled up, remembering the times he texted her whenever he had five minutes away from the catwalk, telling her how much she should be next to him and how he wanted to be in her room...however they saw fit.

Her cheeks heated, even as his words made her shiver. She wondered about his temper, knowing that everyone was capable of anger. He seemed pretty congenial for the most part, although there had been times when he openly irritated with her. She deserved those previous times because she had caused his upset. But, even when he was mad at her, he never outright shouted at her as Nathaniel had done.

"Marinette? Are you okay in there?"

She jumped and hurriedly put the phone back. "I'm almost done!" She called, moving to flush the toilet. A hand covered her face as she realized how lame her actions were.

"Nathaniel just showed up. I'll try to distract him for you so you can slip out of the house, okay? He doesn't know you're here yet."

Her heartbeat sped up, adrenaline joining. "That's okay, I think I'll at least greet him before I head out." She responded, face smoothing of emotion.

"Are you sure?"

She looked in the mirror, trying to school her face to nothing and failing. "I'm sure."

After a deep breath, she unlocked the door and opened it to find a concerned Mylene looking at her. She didn't say anything and partially ignored her friend's ramblings as she headed back to the main room, stomach knotting up with every step.

The happy greetings and well-wishes died when she stopped at the edge of the room, eyes fixating on shock red. Rose and Juleka looked her way the second they saw her and Rose cringed enough for him to notice.

It was enough for him to pause and look her way.

Green met blue and her heart flipped a little. There was a sense of longing there that she felt, that she saw in his eyes, as she stood there. She ignored Mylene's presence at her side as everything else melted away, his eyes the only thing she saw.

His heart went double-time when he saw her, but the pain from last week shoved itself to the forefront all over again. He harshly swallowed, brow furrowing a little despite how he told himself he wasn't going to give in to all the tears he had shed since that night occurred. How he wasn't going to look at her as someone else's woman, even though she hated being called that. How he wasn't going to remember all the times they'd shared and solely focus the last moment when he stormed out of her room.

"Mari...nette..." He barely managed, body raising him off the chair on its own. His hand moved to her in its need to touch her and he didn't even notice it as he fixated on her figure. What he didn't think he'd ever see again.

Somewhere in the back of his head, probably the logical part of his brain, cursed how he still loved her so much.

She gripped the phone in her hand, glad she was standing where she was behind the couch and so close to the exit door. She didn't think this was going to be as hard as it was! Her mouth refused to work and greet him back, though not because she was angry at him. Their past rushed behind her eyes and all she could see were the multitude of emotions on his face that they had experienced together. The times she had seen him in her clothing designs and the times she had taken them off him. Of the hours and hours she had begged him to be her mannequin for the male line she was trying to get right.

Her hands shook, head foggy. She didn't know if she could do this and it suddenly seemed like a terrible idea to think she could attempt trying.

"Marinette was just on her way out." Mylene rushed, stepping forward with a smile. "She knew when you were going to be here so she wasn't going to stay."

She didn't hear Rose's hurried ramblings about the whole thing. She kept staring at him, watching her, seeing how many emotions he threw across the room at her.

He only came to when Rose's hand touched his arm. He blinked, mentally shaking himself from his stupor and forced a smile. "Ah...yes. Sorry everyone. I didn't mean to make things uncomfortable for you all." He took a step toward her, a huge part of him daring to get as close as he could despite all of the vows to never want to be near her ever again. "Mylene said you'd be bringing me my wallet... Do you have it?"

 _Give_ _it_ _back_ _already!_

Nails dug into her skin around the death grip to her purse strap. Her adrenaline shot to all-time highs as his texts went through her head. Her eyes narrowed a little as the previous days of ire burned her eyes.

She didn't hide it from him either.

"I do." She reported, voice chipped. Her chin rose a little as he took a few steps more closer to her. "I think I'll give it to you in the kitchen though. I'd hate to ruin Ivan's birthday party."

She didn't wait for him to follow. She spun on her heel and left Mylene in between them, marching the short distance to the other room barely out of everyone's hearing range.

She leaned against the counter, arms tightly crossed with her free hand tapping against her arm. She tried to keep herself calm because she knew yelling wasn't going to solve anything, but that didn't help keep her from thinking the worst. Of over-judging the situation again.

His footsteps got her eyes his way as fast as a snake's strike. She stared at him, not bothering to keep irritation off her face. She watched him slow to a stop on the other side of the room, barring her exit.

He stared at her and how upset she was. He wanted to be too, but standing next to her was draining and he was getting tired too quickly. He finally looked away with a sigh, shoulders drooping. "I won't make trouble for you or anyone here." He quietly broke in, hair covering his view of her. "Just put my wallet on the counter next to you and you can pass. I need the things that are in there and I hope you haven't damaged anything to spite me."

Her eyes narrowed and she scoffed. "Don't think so low of me. I haven't touched it and I actually put it in my desk for safekeeping the night I found it next to my sewing machine." Her arms tightened a little, cell phone whipping out and pointing in his face. "You, however, have an apology that you owe me before I give it back. Once you do so, I'll put it on the counter and I don't want you to bother me ever again."

Green whipped to her, finding her practically seething in her spot. A brow rose as he stared into accusatory blue. "What are you talking about?" He finally blurted, confusion and upset leaking across his face.

She bristled. "Don't lie to me! Just come clean! I know what you did and you had your fun! You've successfully made my life miserable so the least you can do is say you're sorry for doing it."

He stared at her for moments, hands finally going in the air. "I have no idea what the hell you're talking about! I haven't done anything to you!" A finger whipped out, pointing at her. "You did something to me, if you'll recall, and I honestly should be asking an apology from you, but I'm not! Just let me have my wallet back already. Don't make this worse than it already is."

She stared at him. He left nothing from her, though she would know if he was. She still knew him better than his own mother because he had always been so open with her. Her eyes narrowed as she searched his face, taking a step his way. "So...you didn't send any of those texts...?"

"I don't know what you're talking about! I'm not trying to start trouble here. You broke up with me and made it official. You wanted nothing to do with me anymore so there was no point in me trying to bother to be near you. Why would I send you text messages?"

Her lips pursed as she looked to her phone. An eye thoughtfully narrowed as she pulled up the list. She stared at them, scrolling through the list. "These were sent almost to the day since we broke up. They aren't good in the slightest, even though the person doesn't point to who it is. Names were never spoken, but the messages are cruel and there are plenty of bad words for me in here. I thought it was you because of what happened that night."

His brow furrowed and he stepped forward when she showed him the screen. "I was mad at you, yes, but I wouldn't go so far as to degrade you, you know." He bit out, hurt that she would have thought so little of him...even if it was a possibility he could have taken upon himself.

The second he looked at the number above the words, his mouth dropped open.

He barely felt himself take her phone in his hands, scrolling all the way to the beginning and reading the texts sent her way. He read everything, his blood boiling as he kept finding new words to call her. His heartbeat roared in his ears and he was vaguely aware of her eyes on him.

"This is...all of them?" He asked, hardly hearing his own voice.

Her arms crossed as she eyed him. His behavior was strange, disbelieving, but he was reacting negatively to her situation. Her anger fizzled out slowly and she wondered if he had ever done it in the first place. He had been the only culprit, but now she might be back at square one.

"I deleted the first few." She responded, still eying him as he slowly handed the phone back. "I thought someone was just playing a prank, or it was a fluke text. When they kept coming, I didn't know who had gotten a hold of my number or how, but all I could do was ignore it." She shrugged, looking to the phone sullenly. "There's not much else I can do. How can I catch someone who can easily get a different line and keep sending these?"

Hands covered his face. He didn't know what to feel, but if he had to put a name to them, anything he could wasn't good. They were too strong and although he wanted to believe that it was for his sake, it was too warped.

Why did she have to go stepping in?! He never wanted this!

He groaned out his annoyance, heaving a sigh and started pacing the small room. Hands ran through his hair as he started spewing out random things in German faster than she could keep up. She watched him with a wary eye, seeing his features twist to match his body language. She stayed next to the counter, watching him walk and speak for moments before finding words.

"If you didn't do this...who did? Who got a hold of my number?"

It all made sense. He wracked his brain and thought back to the only time it could have happened. He thought he left his cell phone at the dorm along with his wallet, but found it in the living room the next afternoon when he went to get water from the kitchen. It wasn't in his coat nor his jeans from that night, but he never thought anything of it.

She must have taken it and recorded Marinette's number. Marinette wouldn't have her number in her contacts, so she would have no idea who was texting her.

"Nathaniel?" She repeated, daring a step to him. "Do you know?"

He stopped at her words, feeling the strain in his shoulders. He looked to the ceiling, wanting nothing more than to leave right now and throttle her for all of the trouble she caused that didn't need to happen. She forced him to deal with this and see Marinette more than he had ever planned on doing. He just wanted to avoid Marinette so that the time apart could heal him and he didn't think about her so much. This whole problem caused Marinette to approach him and accuse him of things he had never done when he just wanted to keep his emotions from erupting all over again.

"I know who has been texting you..." He evenly responded, looking hard to the ground. "I apologize in advance that such things have been said to you. I had no part in it and I never said for her to start sending them."

"'Her'?"

He met confused blue, heaving a sigh. "Lily."

Her eyes flew open, mouth dropping. She stared at the grim anger in his features and all the pieces suddenly fit.

She had no idea whose number it was because she had deleted it a year ago, thinking she would never need to use it anymore. The texts she thought had been from Nathaniel because of the situation. They were about the situation, but they weren't from him. They had been from someone who knew of the situation though. The hate and harsh words which held nothing back had probably been there for the last year and were now only able to be said with Nathaniel not in front of her to protect her from them.

"Her?!" She squeaked, looking to the screen in shock. She winced, history going through her head. All the bad words said in person...she should have known!

Fingers squeezed at his temples. "There's no one else it can be. She found out when I went home that night and she's not liked you since we broke up last year. Don't worry though; I'll go talk to her and get her to stop. I'll send you a text once it's done so you can delete her number from your history and not have to deal with this again. I'll do the same to her phone so she doesn't have your number in there."

He sighed again, wanting to be sick at how horrible the day had suddenly turned out. Anything positive that could be found in his friend's birthday was shattered by the fact that he had to go home soon and probably have a yelling match with his beloved sister who meant well in her own way.

 _pinterest com/explore/tarot-card-meanings/_

 _Ivan's_ _bracelet_ _inspriation:_ _images1 novica net/pictures/9/p245605__


	47. A familial moment

" _I_ _almost_ _wish_ _that_ _I_ _hadn't_ _said_ _anything._ _I_ _know_ _how_ _you_ _hate_ _anything_ _bad_ _happening_ _between_ _you_ _and_ _your_ _family._ _I_ _wouldn't_ _have_ _brought_ _it_ _up_ _if_ _I_ _had_ _known_ _this_ _was_ _going_ _to_ _be_ _the_ _case."_

" _You_ _don't_ _deserve_ _that_ _kind_ _of_ _retribution_ _and_ _I'm_ _glad_ _you_ _told_ _me._ _She_ _has_ _no_ _place_ _doing_ _such_ _a_ _thing_ _at_ _all_ _and_ _it's_ _my_ _fault_ _for_ _involving_ _her_ _as_ _much_ _as_ _I_ _have._ _She's_ _mad_ _at_ _you_ _because_ _she_ _loves_ _me_ _and_ _is_ _only_ _doing_ _what_ _she_ _thinks_ _is_ _right._ _That_ _doesn't_ _justify_ _this_ _whole_ _issue_ _she_ _created_ _though,_ _but_ _I'll_ _talk_ _to_ _her_ _about_ _it_ _and_ _straighten_ _the_ _whole_ _thing_ _out."_

" _I'm_ _sorry_ _you_ _have_ _to_ _step_ _in_ _for_ _my_ _sake._ _I_ _guess...good_ _luck_ _on_ _the_ _whole_ _thing..."_

The whole hour he was there, trying to enjoy his friend's special day, all he could feel was trepidation at what awaited him. After Marinette left, he planned on keeping the visit short so that he could head home and take care of the issue he never thought would occur in a million years. Well...the naive part of him thought that; given how hostile she had been to Marinette the entire year, it didn't shock him that this had happened.

It had been almost an hour since she headed out and he was no sooner to wanting to leave than since she left.

This was not how he wanted to get on with his life! The week after that night had been hell enough. The tears, the lack of food, the calling in sick to work. Days after days of pretty much getting food and water shoved down his throat by his twin so he didn't end up in the hospital. Any time she was with him, her irate words to Marinette punctuated the air the entire time. He ignored those words, knowing they echoed somewhere in his heart around the exhaustion he felt every day.

Her texts to Marinette went through his head and it was hard to remain focused on everyone's conversation, let alone hear what the others were going on about. He ate and drank little, his stomach too twisted at the thought of needing to leave soon to be interested in the goodies from Marinette's family bakery.

Not that he wanted the memories of her mother's cooking to haunt him later anyway...

He finally made his excuses to leave, trying to be vague as to not drag everyone into his problem, into their problems, any longer. They had heard too much from both of them over the months and all the apologies he had given them still didn't seem like enough.

He bid his goodbyes to everyone with a fake smile, dropping it as Mylene walked him to the front door. He got on his jacket and shoes, feeling her eyes.

"I hope everything goes better for you, Nathaniel."

He looked to her, finding wise eyes studying him. He sighed as the only thing he could do, knowing what she was capable of.

Course, even if she wasn't an empath, he bet he was visibly agitated enough for it to be known to everyone.

He hugged her. "I hope so too." He mumbled, every fiber in his being not wanting to head home. "This is the last thing I want to be doing right now. I just wanted to forget this whole relationship ever happened and get on with my life. I wish she hadn't brought this up."

Mylene pulled away and lightly put her hands on his cheeks, eyes studying him. He wondered what she was searching for, what she was getting by looking at him.

"You'll do fine." She finally reported, face softening to confidence. "It won't be as bad as you think, though it isn't going to be pleasant. Just try to remember that there was a positive intention in the whole thing."

He gave her a wry smile. "That's going to be hard when we're both yelling at each other."

Mylene gave him a gentle smile and patted his shoulder. "I know. Believe me when I say I know."

He patted her hand before she took it back, smiling. "I do. We all do." He heaved a sigh and looked to the door, not wanting to open it. His hand reached for the knob anyway, the other waving as he stepped past the threshold.

The entire bus ride and walk upstairs was tense. He didn't want to close such an afternoon like this. At most, he just planned on seeing how well he would do at seeing the now done love of his life again. He didn't think he'd have to see her again, not after what Mylene had texted him. He thought they could just part as they had and never need to see each other for a while. He wanted it for a while, as many months as he could get away with before another birthday put them both together.

He didn't think he'd still be carrying her with him right now after resolving to cast her away.

His feet took the steps as slow as possible, knowing she'd be home at this hour. She had nothing to do today and wished him a good day with no problems when he left. He bet his mother was home as well, but the last thing he wanted to do was bring this wrath upon her with her in the house.

He stopped in front of his own front door, feeling in no hurry to go inside. He knew he was being stupid, that he would be blunt and request his sister to stop and that would be it. He knew she would argue back as to why she had started texting Marinette, which he didn't want to get into. He just wanted to say his piece, have her listen, and be done with it.

He remembered Mylene's words, hoping she was right...though she usually was.

The door swung open and quiet greeted him. He slowly put his jacket away and took off his shoes, hearing quiet noise from some other part of the house. He strode right to it, finding his mother and sister watching tv.

He leaned against the arch to the living room for a moment, arms crossing. He felt something stab his heart as he watched his twin laugh at something said on a program he wasn't paying attention to.

Fatigue hit him with such a vengeance that all he wanted to do was crawl back in bed and forget the whole day existed. He didn't want to deal with any of this, but he had to because he promised Marinette he would stop his sister for her sake.

"Oh, Nathaniel...you're home. Goodness, you scared me."

He focused on kind, green eyes. "I'm sorry, mother. I'm back." He quietly greeted in German.

"How was the party?"

He looked past one chair to the one near the wall where his twin was. She was watching the program, hardly paying attention to him. He wondered if that was on purpose.

"I saw Marinette."

The entertained look on her face fell, though she still didn't look his way. There was an icy fire in her eyes that was directed at the tv the whole time. "Oh." She mumbled, going for a snack she had.

"How is she doing?" His mother intervened. "How are you doing?"

His arms tightened a little more at the concern in her words. It took a moment of a very clenched jaw before he could speak without erupting in some way. "She's...good. I suppose. Not any better than I am, I guess." His eyes narrowed a little. "She was quite irate with me and accused me of something I didn't do."

"What else is new?"

The venom hadn't left and it seemed to roll of his sister's tongue. Those few words alone nailed the coffin shut. She had done it. He didn't even need to see her phone to know she had. The painful feeling in his chest shut him down for a moment and he focused on mental recovery so he could get through this.

"The one who caused her distress is." He bit out, getting a sideways view from her. He didn't miss it. "I didn't think you'd ever do such a thing, but I guess I can't put it past you after everything that's happened."

"Nathaniel, honey, you're being kind of confusing with your words. What are you talking about?"

He ignored the concern of his loving mother, not wanting to involve her in a sibling spat. "I'm going to find your phone." He continued, turning for their rooms upstairs. "And I'm going to delete every single one of those texts. If you stop me, I'm going to break it."

He didn't even get halfway past the living room before his sister was up like a bullet. She practically jumped from her chair and bowled into him. "You don't need my phone!" She hotly denied, grabbing his arm as he kept pulling in the direction for her room.

"Lily, what is the matter with you?!"

"I don't need to know the proof that you probably still have on there, but I'm going to erase your hateful words!" He harshly retorted, using his strength and height to keep making his way across the floorboards.

"Both of you stop this instant! Act like adults!"

The Kurtzburg household was a tight-knit group of three people that had relied on each other for a very long time, almost to the day since they moved from Switzerland for Paris. They all loved each other very much and both siblings highly respected their mother for what she had done for their sakes. It was one of the main reasons they both paused in the living room and looked slightly chagrined at their actions at disturbing her peace.

"I don't know what has gotten in between the two of you, but it's going to stop right this instant!" Standing at a height almost to his sister's shoulder, their mother walked over with annoyance and hands on her hips. "I haven't had to scold you two in over a decade, but don't think I've forgotten how." Sharp eyes landed on his twin. "Lily, if you've done something, then I want you to come clean and apologize for whatever trouble you've caused here. You owe Nathaniel that with as upset as he looks right now."

Lily looked down, slightly pouting and sullen. "Mother, you don't know anything about what's really been going on here." She quickly defended, lightly holding onto his arm. "I know everything! I've known it for a long time and since he wasn't going to do it, I did it for him."

He heaved a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes squeezed shut. "I never asked you to do that..." He managed, starting to feel overwhelmed at dragging his mother into this. He didn't want her knowing the sheer amount of pain he had shown to his sister. He just knew his mother may start crying at the torment he had gone through and why.

He didn't need Marinette hated by everyone in the house.

Hazel met green, insistent and demanding. "The last week alone was proof enough that retribution needed to happen! The last year even!" Her hands flailed into the air. "I know it's crossed your mind and I merely put it into action for you...to speak some of the words you told me yourself in your room when you were crying your eyes out!"

He cringed, looking to his mother who was looking concerned and confused about the whole exchange. "Now isn't the time to get into the whole thing. I'd rather just forget that happened. Please delete her phone number from your contacts and erase any other data you might have in the house. Stop doing that to her. I already have to send a confirmation text that you'll do so."

"She needs to pay for what she's done!" Lily hotly denied. "She put you through hell...she's still putting you through hell! Do you think I'm blind?!"

"Lily, watch your mouth." Hands went to his empty arm, the other Kurtzburg female holding onto him. "Nathaniel, honey...I knew that something bad has happened to you concerning Marinette, given how you refused to speak about her or hardly leave your room. Please tell me what's been troubling you my son..."

His eyes stung and he hated this. He didn't want to be the center of attention and make this even more complicated than he wanted. He looked down to ignore the two of them for a second as he tried to keep it together.

"Just...stop texting her." He managed, taking a deep breath. "I don't want to involve m – myself anymore. I don't want you to involve yourself anymore either."

"She's getting away without penance and I won't let that happen!" Hands clutched at his arms, worried hazel eying his downcast face. "Look at you! You think I don't know? What haven't I seen at this point? You're already a mess and you were only there a few hours! She doesn't even care or you two would be back together!"

He shot her a half wince, half glare...especially at the mothering presence right next to him.

"Oh dear...honey...you two broke up?" His mother wrapped her arms around his waist briefly and he blinked back tears. "I'm sorry, dear. I know how much you love her."

"Loved." He quietly corrected, trying to take deep breaths. The loving care of his mother never failed to hit him in the deepest part of his heart and wake up what he was trying to freeze in the darkness.

"Nonsense. I still love your father, even after I left him all those years ago." His mother softly denied. "You never stop loving a person once you start, even if it changes over time." The woman pulled away and looked at him with sad eyes. "I'm sorry that such a bad thing happened to you. You two were good together, but I know you'll feel better after a while. I did so after living in Paris for a few years." An arm went around his waist. "We'll help you honey, don't worry."

His throat convulsed and a hand went over his eyes to hide his tears. He tried to breathe everything away, but it wasn't going to at this point. His mother's love had seen to that. She was going to do more than she already had to see to his feelings until he was properly on the mend and getting past the most of this.

The thought made him want to weep in her arms like the scared child he used to be...that he still was.

"J – just stop...sending...th – those texts..." He shakily got out, sniffling. "P – please..."

"Do as he says, Lily. Don't hurt your brother more than you already have."

Tears stung hazel eyes as well as Lily suddenly embraced the one she had inadvertently hurt in her crusade. She gave a shaky exhale when one of his arms went back around her, her mother's arm finishing the circle. "You were always...s – so sad..." She rambled, sniffling. "She h – hurt you...so much. I hurt...t – to see you...crying all the time. She's a t – terrible person...to put...put you...through th – this..."

"There, there you two... Everything will be okay."

Hands which had stroked their heads when they cried during their first days of kindergarten, during their first fight on the playground, the first misunderstanding between each other, stroked their heads as adults. Cooing and quiet shushing filled the room to help them calm down as it had in the past, the deep well of motherly love pulling another bucket out to wash over them.

"You meant well, Lily, I know you did. But, you didn't consider what would happen after you started this. You hurt more than just Marinette in this whole thing, but I think it's time for you to stop. Any lesson you were trying to make her learn I think has been pointed out."

Lily managed a choppy nod, hand coming up to wipe her cheeks clean.

"Nathaniel, my son. My beloved child. Your sister was hurt at the sight of your own pain. She has been for a long time it sounds like. You can't fault her for doing something with you solely in mind. She loves you very much and has always been there for you, just like you're there for her. As I'm here for the both of you. It's time for you to walk on past this and focus on each other. You two were born together and must share the good, not just the bad with each other."

The woman sighed. "It's going to take time Nathaniel. I won't lie to you on that. You will have good and bad days. The good days will seem to take a while to show up, but they'll come back around. You'll get there. Have faith in yourself. You're a beautiful person and I know you can do it. You both can do it."

He had dissolved entirely during her comfort, his arms latching around the one rock which had always been there for him. Which would be there for as long as he hoped she could. He clutched at her, leaning over her much shorter height and crying as if she had just brought him into this world. He felt her hand over his back before it changed for the arms of his sister.

They stood there, the tv still rambling on about whatever program it had changed to in the time since their argument had started. They ignored it for the bonding that only brought him closer to the two women he would forever love the most in his life. He couldn't manage the words to tell them right now, but the way his mother stroked his hair told him she must know that already.

It felt like forever until he could compose himself enough to speak, let alone stop crying. His sister gave him a towel to wipe his face with, along with using one for herself. Their mother was the only one totally unaffected, though her eyes shone a bit when he looked at her again.

Her hand took his, thin and worn from too much use. "Nathaniel, honey, your sister has something she would like to tell you." Aged eyes looked over, full of expectation.

Red loitered her face, staining her eyes that stared at the ground. Lily's lips formed a pout, knowing she had been wrong despite it all. "I won't...do it again..." She mumbled. Her shoulders drooped a little as she turned away. "I didn't meant to be the one to make you this sad, little brother..."

He stared at his twin and embraced her before he could think or she could say anything else. Lily Kurtzburg who had joined the world only moments before he had. His twin who was older than he was by technical means, but so much more immature in her own way. She meant harm not to him, only wanting to do right and have justice for his pain.

"Just please stop then." He breathed, feeling her clutch him back. He waited for her nod against his chest and his lips formed the barest of smiles he hadn't felt in a long time. "That's all I ask of you. There is no more of her. She's gone...and I...I just...want to move on with my life."

Lily pulled away with a final sniff, still not looking his way. "I'm...sorry..." She mumbled, head down.

" _It_ _won't_ _be_ _as_ _bad_ _as_ _you_ _think,_ _though_ _it_ _isn't_ _going_ _to_ _be_ _pleasant._ _Just_ _try_ _to_ _remember_ _that_ _there_ _was_ _a_ _positive_ _intention_ _in_ _the_ _whole_ _thing."_

Whether Mylene had read into his future or surmised his past going by what she knew, his friend was correct in her words.

His hand landed on her shoulder as he stepped out of the embrace. "I know you are. Thank you. I know you meant well for my sake." He stepped away from the pair, their eyes on him. "I have a quick text to send and then I think I'll join you both for a program or two."

He didn't wait for them to respond and headed for his room. He quietly clicked the door closed and heavily leaned against it, feeling as drained as he had that night...but much better overall. A hand covered his face, wondering how many more tears he would have to shed until he found the stopper and plugged up his emotions. He had involved his mother in this and she was going to cause more havoc than she would intend, trying to do good for him in her own way.

Hands covered his face with a sigh, feeling how hot and irritated his eyes were. He stared about his room, the floor cleaned of broken canvases and torn paper that went into the trash long ago. Most of the art he had compiled, especially about her, was now gone and it was starting to feel like she had never existed despite being in next to him for so long.

It took forever for his feet to move. He snatched his phone from the dresser and heavily plopped down on his bed. He stared at the device in his hands, hardly feeling it, for the longest time until he unlocked it and pulled up her text history.

He supposed that, after today, he might as well delete it here, too...

 _Everything has been taken care of and my sister has personally told me she would stop and will no longer bother you. I will erase your number from her phone later so that she has absolutely no means to contact you in the future. My mother has also witnessed her words and will hold her to them._

He sent the text, his thumbs hesitating to type one more thing that his heart wanted him to send.

Teeth bit his lip, warring with himself and seeing his digits twitch in their attempt to type out the words. His tongue darted out, his thumbs slowly moving. He stared at the paltry two words which took probably five minutes to type out, wondering if he should send them. He wanted to, most of him wanted to. There was actually very little that didn't want him to press the send button to finalize this to her.

It was a closure in a way. It looked like it; it felt like it and although his heart bled a little from it, his emotions smoothed out. He stared at it until his screen went blank and then brought her text up...pressing send without any other hesitation.

 _Be well._

He stared at it and the time stamp once it was sent. After an eternity had passed and nothing was sent back, he mentally shook his head for expecting anything back and tossed his phone on the bed. He wanted nothing more than to change the rollercoaster he had gotten on since he left and went to join his family for some communal tv watching.


	48. Springtime lunch date

Midterms sucked. It didn't matter which degree he was going for, they were a terrible strain at any level of schooling. Regular tests had already been taken, yet one had to take a much bigger one over all the material to show they could utilize long-term thinking skills. No one should have to sit through class for hours on end, then have to restudy all of the same material they spent weeks learning in the first place.

Thankfully, he didn't have that kind of problem.

Being smart, and having gone already through a lot of what was written on the pages, allowed him to get out of cramming for the sleuth of exams they were having for the next few weeks and enjoy the warming spring weather a little.

That wasn't his original intent though...

" _You_ _should_ _go!_ _I_ _know_ _what_ _it's_ _like_ _to_ _ignore_ _my_ _friends_ _and_ _I_ _always_ _feel_ _terrible_ _for_ _doing_ _so."_

" _Your_ _midterms_ _are_ _just_ _as_ _important._ _I_ _know_ _how_ _hard_ _of_ _a_ _time_ _you've_ _been_ _having_ _the_ _last_ _month_ _or_ _two._ _I'm_ _sure_ _they'll_ _understand_ _if_ _I_ _tell_ _them_ _that_ _I'm_ _busy_ _studying._ _They_ _don't_ _need_ _to_ _know_ _that_ _it's_ _you_ _I'm_ _helping."_

" _No_ _lying!_ _I_ _hate_ _that_ _the_ _most_ _about_ _people._ _I'll_ _be_ _fine;_ _you_ _go_ _spend_ _a_ _few_ _hours while you have the chance with_ _the_ _people_ _you_ _might_ _not_ _get_ _to_ _see_ _for_ _a_ _bit."_

Had she known exactly whom he was going to see, he wondered if she would have verbally pushed him out the door with the same enthusiasm. In all honesty, he would have rather sacrificed time with his childhood friends for her grades, but she wasn't going to have anything like that and arguing had proven fruitless.

He stole a few more minutes with her before leaving by insisting she pick out something for him to wear. He purposely wanted to wear her present, remembering how she smiled when he persisted on wearing it. It made him want to leave even less.

A gloved hand came up and touched the flimsy fabric, lips softly tilting. She had done a good job on his outfit, keeping the weather in mind when he said he was meeting his friends at a cafe. It was still a tad too chilly to be sitting out on the patio furniture the employees had set out for the afternoon, but he knew this was the only time he was going to be able to enjoy it anyway.

"There he is! He hasn't changed a bit."

"Well, duh. He's always been that handsome."

His hand quickly dropped from the shawl-scarf before he drew immediate attention to it by playing with it. He mentally steeled himself at the approaching duo waving as they stopped in front of his table.

He had been hesitant to meet with these two for more reasons than just wanting to help Marinette study and spend time with her instead. He didn't know what would happen if details came out about his relationship with her. After seeing how those two behaved at the venue, he wondered if something was going to happen if he let anything slip. He hoped Chloe didn't remember the instance because her head slightly exploded by just seeing Marinette again. He didn't know what she would do if he told Chloe he was going out with Marinette now...or what he had gone through to get to this point. Chloe was possessive of the only friends she made, considerate of them in her own way. He knew this, but it wasn't much easier to bear when she shoved herself in his business when he didn't want her to.

This might be one of those times.

He supposed if the subject came up, he'd talk about it without hesitation and be honest. After everything that befell them over the last year and a half alone, he was happy that things had come this direction. But, he wasn't going to start something when he could keep it from happening in the first place and keep the peace.

"Been a long time, Sabrina." He cordially greeted, smiling her way.

The red-head nodded with a smile. "Yes it has. How are you, Adrien?"

"He's cold, that's what. Let's take this inside."

Sabrina looked to her companion with a raised brow. "You have a leather jacket on and you can't sit outside in this beautiful sunny day?"

Chloe sent a sour look over designer sunglassxes to her friend. "Buildings are heated for the convenience of being able to stay warm without having hot liquids to do that job for you." A gloved hand moved to his cup. "Don't think I'm going to burn my tongue on something while my nose turns red. What am I...Rudolph?"

He took that second to stand, knowing that neither of them would sway her in the slightest and took his cup back. "You're not having any of that. Get your own." He playfully countered, getting a snort from Chloe.

"As if. I only drink espresso." Light blue eyes curiously narrowed before she passed him. "I bet you have a latte in that. I don't do fat in my coffee."

He looked to Sabrina when she sighed and sent an understanding smile her way. "Been a long morning?"

Sabrina sent him a slightly chagrined look as they walked in step for the door. He held it open and she passed him with a thankful nod. "It's been a long forty minutes in the car." She countered, looking around. Chloe was already halfway to the counter, hand in her purse. "I'm going up there before she does what I think she's doing."

"I'll get us a table." He replied, watching his friend walk away with a admonishing look. He sat down at the first four-seater he could find amongst the other students and watched the two have some kind of discussion in front of the counter with Chloe slightly pushing Sabrina away before ordering something. He watched a second cup get put on the surface. Sabrina stared at it, looking none-too-happy, before finally taking it.

He didn't know what had transpired for her to look so put out about a single beverage, regardless of whatever was in there, but he knew the reason why she was unsure to accept anything from Chloe. Such things had happened in the past and Chloe would occasionally talk about them whenever they hung out.

Chloe never gave anything easily and when she did, she made sure the receiver knew about it. Having once described herself to him as "Chloe's dog" during her breakdown, the lingering memories of getting the few "treats" from Chloe were apparently still such a sore spot that she was hesitant to do so even now.

Sometimes he wondered how those two stayed friends for so long. Their tastes being similar for expensive, well-crafted items seemed to be the only thing keeping them together most times. Chloe barreled through life on her own terms while Sabrina was much more calculated and thoughtful in her movements. He just knew that Sabrina kept Chloe in check on a lot of her misadventures, though he knew she also had fun by getting dragged along.

He knew that Sabrina tried hard to establish herself after high school was over as she separated herself from Chloe in both the business world and at the university level. He was happy she had come into her own and emboldened her personality after she escaped the eclipse that was Chloe Bourgeois. He knew what it was like to be bowled over by Chloe's personality and it was tiring. He and Sabrina had been shaking their heads at her actions for about ten years so far. Chloe was who she was as an innately strong character, but those of lesser strengths had a hard time putting up with her. But, as they were some of her only friends, she treasured them in her own way and would occasionally do such things like buy her friend a coffee when it wasn't necessary...or wanted.

The pair headed over, Chloe looking somewhat triumphant as she pulled a chair out. He waited until they sat down and Chloe's purse was set on the empty spot. "Do I want to know?" He asked, brow going up at Sabrina.

"She wouldn't let me get away with not having coffee." She mumbled, cradling the cup.

Chloe brought the espresso cup to her lips before a smile cropped up. "When I told you that I'd pay you back for picking me up, I meant it. You know I hate dealing with weekend traffic. I hate driving in that mess. I don't need that kind of stress."

"I know." Sabrina retorted back, giving her friend a dry look. "But how many times have I told you though that I'm trying to quit caffeine? You're not supposed to feed my addiction, you know."

"You can have one cup." Chloe insisted, sipping the strong drink with grace. Light blue slyly looked over the rim. "It's just black...and I ordered you decaf anyway. Did you think I forgot?"

He propped his head up as the curiosity between their random conversation ate at him. "Quitting coffee?" He interrupted, lips tilting. "Did you have too much one day or something?"

Sabrina looked slightly chagrined at his question and promptly took a drink instead of speaking.

"She almost fainted because of the amount she drank during tax season last year." Chloe reported, grinning. "Her doctor told her the foggy head she had was because of the caffeine overdose, not lack of sleep and long hours."

"Do tell." He sat forward a bit. "It's been a while and I've forgotten that little tidbit. What other kind of dramatic ways have you unintentionally been trying to put yourself in the hospital?"

Sabrina gave him an annoyed look. "Your sense of humor is as bad as ever, Adrien." She retorted, trying not to smile at the horrible joke.

He grinned back and relaxed against the back of the seat. The nostalgia of being with this odd pair of women, ones he somehow had stayed friends with, was kind of nice when they got together in sudden times like these.

"So...what's with the shawl?" Chloe piped up, eying his attire over her cup. A dark brow rose. "Did you just show up from a photo shoot?" She put the cup down and looked to the table as if a thought just struck. "No way...those vampires don't leave you alone until they've sucked you dry for half the day and make you see nothing but spots."

"It looks nice on you. Which season is that from?" Sabrina added, head tilting. "I was unaware your father made those for men."

"He doesn't. He doesn't even for women." Chloe broke in, eyes critically narrowing. She looked him up and down, lips pursing in thought. "I've been in his shows off and on for years now. I don't think he can bring himself to make something so feminine." Her hand reached out and tugged on a tassel. "Don't tell me you went out and actually bought clothes."

"It was a recent gift." He vaguely supplied, shooing Chloe's hands away. He readjusted the turtleneck a bit when it shifted. "You know I don't need to buy clothes."

"It looks good, Adrien." Sabrina politely repeated.

"Thanks. You look good without the glasses. When did that change? Anytime I've seen you, it's always with lenses."

"That's all thanks to me." Chloe cheerfully interrupted before Sabrina could get words out. "She finally listened when I said the coke bottles needed to go."

Sabrina gave a sour look next to her. "Glasses are easier to deal with." She amended with a sigh at her friend's behavior. A hand self-consciously swept over her face, being careful with her makeup. "But, I kind of gave in when we went to England and she said I'd be more attractive to guys while we were there."

He sent an annoyed look across the way. "You really should work on your sense of tact." He retorted, knowing how much that must have hurt Sabrina.

Chloe flipped her hair off her shoulder. "I was just being honest." Her hand extended, fingers lightly gripping Sabrina's chin. "And doesn't she though? Her eyes stand out this way and that's her best feature. She should flaunt it however she can."

He tried to steer the conversation in a more diplomatic manner before Chloe inserted her foot any farther into her mouth. He could see the irritation in Sabrina's eyes and redirected the topic more toward their activities in England than her appearance.

From what Sabrina managed to get out around Chloe's butting in, England sounded entertaining and a small percent of him thought it would have been fun to go again. A visit to London would have been nice had he had the time or gumption to go. The only other time he went was for a catwalk years ago and he didn't even get to go sightseeing, so "visiting" was a stretch to call that trip.

He eventually ordered the three of them food, letting Chloe get what she wanted, after conversation bled past an hour. He didn't feel like stopping it and placated Chloe's picky appetite, waving off her insisting in front of the cashier at the register that they needed to eat lunch at her father's hotel and get some "good food".

"Stop making me feel mortified to meet you in public." He quietly groused, hands plopping on her shoulders from behind. "Go sit down and wait patiently while they make your stuff."

He ignored Chloe's remarks, Sabrina defending him. She offered to wait with him while they got coffee to bring over, hearing Chloe's tirade halfway to her short trek back to the table near the front.

A hand covered her eyes, sigh escaping. "That girl...sometimes..." Sabrina's head shook.

He gave a helpless shrug, looking down. "Nothing to be done about her now. You know how she is."

Sabrina met eyes before they rolled in her irritation. "Trust me...I know." She smiled at him. "How has class been?"

"Boring. Just like my undergrad." He cracked, sticking his tongue out. "Mostly pointless with as long as I've been in the business, but it looks good on paper." He shrugged, seeing her nod. "You know how it is."

"Thankfully, I don't." She kidded, leaning against the counter. Her arms loosely crossed as they stood off to the side of the register. One cup was put in front of them. "From all the shows Chloe dragged me to that you were in, you can have it. I'll take accounting any day."

He gave her a sardonic look, going for the second cup that was set on the counter. "I don't want it either. You know that. I'd rather switch you." He took a sip of the latte, finally shrugging. "But, it's easy work for me and a good paycheck at this point. Plenty of travel opportunities and things to do."

He had turned for the counter, leaving Sabrina to face the rest of the cafe, intent on picking up the third cup that was just put before them. He had forgotten one major detail on his outfit, remembering it only when fingers suddenly tugged on part of the scarf.

His head whipped around, finding green looking at the edge of the fabric, interested with one specific part of it. "Huh..." She mumbled, hand rubbing over the emblem.

He set down the dishes as quickly as he could without dropping them and batted her hand away, but from the curious look on her face, he had a feeling she was already deducing something. "'Huh' what?" He echoed, handing her one of the cups to keep her hands busy.

Sabrina gave him a dry look as her hands moved. "LC? Don't play me for a fool. I know those spots. She made me a skirt-blouse combo at the tail end of high school and I still wear it often. I'm a big fan." Her smile turned sly. "Does Chloe know about this?"

He looked across the space to the person who was staring at them with a raised brow, looking utterly bored over there by herself. "I'd prefer if she doesn't. Those two randomly met recently and it seems that things are still not good between them...from whatever happened between them."

Sabrina nodded, turning for one of the other cups. "They had a bad time in school and I wasn't much help in that regard to get them to become friends. I won't say anything to Chloe, but you have to tell me some details. I'm curious at how you two met."

He cringed, never intending on that embarrassing spectacle see the light of day to anyone else. If he said basic information though, he could trust Sabrina more than Chloe and he knew this. Judging by Sabrina's vague words about a decade past, she would be the best to exchange information with. It would probably be less biased than anything he could get out of Chloe, too.

"It'll have to be later." He amended, slowly heading over. Sabrina quickly fell into step as they weaved around tables. "I'm curious about how she knows Chloe, to be honest, but I don't know if she'll say anything. I think that prying might get me yelled at because she'd rather forget all about it."

"It's not really a good topic." Sabrina sighed. "If she yells at you for it, just tell her where you heard it and that I'll buy a few hundred euro in clothing to compensate her for her emotional distress." Sabrina smiled. "I can always use a new summer dress."

He chuckled. "I think I'd rather hear what she was like back then at least. I'm curious as to how you three met."

"I can do that." Her lips suddenly pressed together. "It...would be nice to do so in person though... I wouldn't mind meeting up if there's ever an opportunity." She admitted, eyes soft. "We were kind of, sort of friends for a brief spell in middle school."

He quickly changed the subject when Chloe was in earshot. He passed the drinks over and glossed over Chloe's insisting questions as to what they were discussing at the counter to get her to drop the topic. He reminded her of her previous tale about looking into wines for her father's hotel and let Chloe go off on everywhere she'd been until their food arrived.

He added Sabrina into the conversation when he could in order to include her in the whole thing whenever Chloe was busy eating. He really wanted to ask questions about her relationship with Marinette, but restrained himself, though it refused to escape him entirely.

When the two started in on some discussion over a late night out in Paris one time, he let them chatter amongst themselves and thought to the possibility of Sabrina, Marinette, and him meeting up. He had met her friends, though he deleted their numbers from his contacts list during the "trouble", and everyone had tried to include him in their lives somehow. Sabrina would be the one person he could reciprocate such a gesture and connect her with his life a little more. He didn't have too many people he could do that on any side, though he was unsure as to what Marinette would say to such a thing.

From what Sabrina said just before they reached the table, he might be more out of the loop than she would if the three of them got together. But, he felt that it would be a good idea even if Marinette might be opposed to it. It would be as much to Sabrina's benefit as it would be his.

He mentally took note to remind himself to tell Sabrina he wanted to chat later so they could talk in private over phone or meet up again soon. That info she mentioned would be nice to get, but when things were a lot more chill with just the two of them.

 _Adrien's_ _outfit_ _inspiration:_ _piku-chan tumblr com/post/147702061354/this-is-ironic-cos-this-is-a-birthday-gift-for-a_

 _Adult_ _Sabrina_ _inspiration:_ _aminoapps com/page/ladybug-en-espanol/1924730/cloe-y-sabrina_


	49. No clothes for a designer

" _Are_ _you_ _kidding?_ _I'm_ _not_ _going_ _out_ _that_ _late_ _at_ _night_ _in this kind_ _of_ _weather!_ _It's_ _too_ _cold!"_

" _When_ _was_ _the_ _last_ _time_ _you_ _went_ _to_ _my_ _club?_ _Do_ _you_ _even_ _remember_ _what_ _season_ _it_ _was,_ _let_ _alone_ _the_ _month?_ _You've_ _been_ _absent_ _from_ _my_ _scene_ _for_ _too_ _long_ _and_ _it's_ _time_ _for_ _you_ _to_ _get_ _back_ _into_ _it!_ _C'mon,_ _Alya_ _has_ _time_ _off_ _and_ _Adrien_ _told_ _me_ _your_ _classes_ _are_ _off_ _for_ _break_ _after_ _exams,_ _too._ _It's_ _perfect_ _for_ _a_ _little_ _double-date."_

" _Except_ _you'll_ _be_ _at_ _work...did_ _you_ _forget_ _that_ _little_ _tidbit?"_

" _Oh_ _please._ _I've_ _written_ _some_ _of_ _the_ _music_ _that_ _I_ _play_ _and_ _what_ _I_ _didn't_ _personally_ _create,_ _I've_ _played_ _to_ _death._ _I_ _know_ _exactly_ _when_ _they'll_ _be_ _over...if_ _I_ _even_ _needed_ _to_ _be_ _in_ _the_ _booth._ _I_ _can_ _spend_ _some_ _time_ _out_ _on_ _the_ _floor_ _with_ _you_ _guys._ _I_ _make_ _plenty_ _of_ _cds_ _for_ _them_ _to_ _use_ _when_ _I'm_ _not_ _there_ _and_ _I_ _can_ _always_ _use_ _those."_

" _Don't_ _skip_ _on_ _work!"_

" _I'll_ _come_ _out_ _and_ _we_ _can_ _have_ _a_ _few_ _shots_ _together._ _Happy?_ _I'll_ _even_ _make_ _you_ _your_ _own_ _cd_ _dance_ _track._ _Coommmeee_ _oooonnnn!"_

She was not a fan of going out in the cold when she had the option not to. She hated clubs, but not because they were loud, expensive, and got you all sweaty. She couldn't dance! She knew this from the last few times she had gone and after she thoroughly embarrassed herself during what she deemed was the final visit, she vowed not to ever go back.

Except...Adrien really wanted to go and liked the idea of them all hanging out together at Nino's club.

She grit her teeth as she threw yet another piece from her closet onto the floor behind her.

This was so aggravating! She really didn't want to go, but if he was going to go, then she should, too! She wanted to make the effort to spend time with him and...to be honest...she really wanted to see how he danced.

After seeing every inch of him stark naked, she wanted to be teased with an outfit that he was planning to "be conspicuous for a fun night out", as he put it, and not be recognized so easily by random women. She wanted to see how he planned on hiding himself in clothes when that was his job was to show off his face in something he was wearing.

She hadn't thought of not drawing attention to be a problem when they were there because it would be dark, but when he mentioned that, she had a bad feeling out going out tonight with him.

" _Aw...are_ _you_ _JEALOUS?"_

" _N – no!_ _I'm_ _not!"_

" _Liar...I_ _can_ _see_ _it_ _in_ _your_ _face._ _Your_ _eyes_ _look_ _pretty_ _when_ _you're_ _glaring_ _holes_ _into_ _the_ _wall,_ _you_ _know..."_

Her jaw clenched for probably the dozenth time in the last hour. The ass! He was toying with her on purpose like that and enjoyed every second! She wanted to hit him...actually, she probably did if she remembered rightly.

Another garment went sailing behind her head with a huff.

"Why does it have to be so cold right now?!" She burst out, hands clutching her hair. "I don't want to bundle up just for the walk then not need it the second I get inside!"

She and Adrien had to take a bus and probably a taxi on the way back. She was going to need a jacket because it was maybe ten outside right now and it was supposed to drop to about eight degrees. She didn't want to though because she didn't want to carry it around with her all night, nor did she want to put it somewhere at a table so someone could steal it.

"Maybe I can stash my stuff in Nino's booth... Wonder how big it is." She mumbled, fingering her lower lip.

Blue eyes critically took in the remaining pieces on hangers. If she was going to attempt to dance, most likely from Adrien's cajoling, she wanted to be comfy. No skirts, and tight jeans did not sound comfortable right now.

Hands covered her face with a disgruntled sigh. "Why does this have to be so complicated?" She whined. "If I wanted to go someplace crowded, hot, loud, and expensive, I'd go to the mall during the summer! God!"

Her phone buzzed and she looked to it, face wrinkling as she knew who it was. With a sigh, she managed to find footholds around her clothes and picked up the phone on her desk.

 _Are_ _you_ _not_ _ready_ _yet?_ _Just_ _pick_ _something!_ _It'll_ _all_ _look_ _amazing_ _on_ _you,_ _I_ _promise._

She pouted at the phone and clicked on the type box to bring up her keyboard.

 _I_ _don't_ _want_ _to_ _get_ _too_ _hot_ _and_ _sweaty,_ _but_ _I_ _don't_ _want_ _to_ _freeze_ _on_ _the_ _way_ _there!_ _I_ _don't_ _want_ _to_ _wear_ _something_ _uncomfortable_ _while_ _I'm_ _there_ _so_ _we_ _have_ _to_ _come_ _back,_ _but_ _I_ _don't_ _want_ _to_ _wear_ _skirts_ _and_ _be_ _unable_ _to_ _dance!_

There was no response to that and she looked through her open window to his. The light was off, which was strange considering they had parted earlier to get ready and he should still be there. She shook her head, knowing she didn't have much more time to get ready and went back to pondering the mostly empty expanse of her closet.

Not even five minutes later, the sound of her door opening made her jump.

"What the hell are you doing in here? Just pick anything!"

Hands went over her hips as his voice floated past the mini-entryway, brow going up at his attire came into view. The original retort about her finding something to wear died on her lips the second she saw him. "What the hell are you wearing?!" She blurted out, unable to get befuddled amaze off her face.

He grinned and looked down, arms spreading out as it would help them see him better. "What? I said I was going to be conspicuous. Who's going to recognize me with clothes like these?"

"They look absolutely hideous...even if you can pull off all black."

He grinned, not sure whether to call it a compliment or jab. "Thanks."

Black. All black. Why did it have to be all black? From the backwards cap, the random screen printed t-shirt, to the somewhat tight jeans. The style wasn't him, especially the backwards cap. The way his hair stuck out of the back wasn't bad though, and the tennis shoes were at least nice on him.

Her arms crossed, looking unimpressed. "Couldn't you have picked anything else to hide in?"

He gently kicked some of her clothes out of the way, ignoring her protests, and neared her. "I couldn't because you're taking forever to find anything in this explosion." A hand reached down and picked up a long-sleeve shirt. "Why not wear this?"

She cringed. "I don't wanna get that all sweaty!" She ignored his eye roll and moved away from the closet when he put the shirt back on the bar.

"Okay...I'm going to pick you out some clothes and you're not going to complain. I've got your criteria: comfortable with light layers."

"You're going to pick out MY clothes?" She asked, brow going up with a smile. Her eyes racked over his outfit again. "Hmm, I have my doubts..." She met his eyes, watching him give one of her looks when she was annoyed with his behavior, and held her hands out in invitation to her closet. "By all means, Monsieur designer's son...pick me an outfit."

He smirked and looked to the floor. "Why don't you clean up that mess while I look to the remainder that's presentable so I don't have to rummage through that." Green darted around as he moved hangers, eyes narrowing in thought.

This was kind of fun. She knew Adrien would have something of a sense of style after it was imposed on him for so many years and was kind of anticipating what he would pick out. If not, she was going to have to school him in her sense of style...though if he had been on her website as much as he referred to, she wondered if he had picked up her habits on his own.

The thought made her smile.

"Heels?"

"What?" She blinked, snapping to. "On a dance floor? No way."

"Dark or bright colors?"

Her lips pursed. "I don't feel like blending in to the background with you, so give me some color so you can find me if I wander off."

His lips twitched, hands still pulling things aside. "I won't let that happen though. Just be warned." After a second, a colorful design drew his eye and without another thought, he pulled it from the closet and held out the shirt front with attached, matching pants for her to look at. "Yes! This. This is it."

She eyed red flowers surrounded by more red, hovering above black with a little white and green sprinkled in on the sleeves. It was definitely a spring design, with sleeves long enough to keep somewhat warm in. They were slim enough to easily get in a jacket, but baggy enough to pull up over her elbows if she got hot. Also short enough that her forearms would be mostly exposed and keep her cool.

Her eyes drifted down to baggy red and black bottoms. They screamed comfortable, yet stylish. She had tailored them to have an elastic waist, but pockets for when she worked in them and needed places to put things.

He ignored her for the outfit he was staring at the back of, giving a hum. "If you have either wide-wedged ankle boots or a pair of black tennis shoes, you can pull either off." His eyes narrowed. "Since you make your own shoes, I assume you made something to go with this?"

She smiled and took the hanger from him. "I have black flats that will work with this." She took the outfit in one more time before giving him a coy smile. "Good job, designer Agreste. You did well." A finger came up and tapped her lips. "I believe your payment is awaiting you."

He smiled and quickly swooped down to catch her mouth for a second. He stared down with mirthful eyes before he found her bed and plopped down. "Your designer is also waiting to make sure it fits. Put it on."

She had made this outfit going by her own measurements. He was well aware of that. Her lips pressed together at the playful, slightly hungry look she had seen before when he saw her naked. She rolled her eyes and tossed the outfit at his head, letting him hold onto it as she took off the current top and pants. She tossed them at his head too, ignoring his protests and took back her new wear for the evening.

"Hmm, yes. That underwear set will do just fine for this."

She gave him an unimpressed look and shook her head, face heating a little as his eyes shamelessly roamed her torso. "You... There are no words."

He smirked. "If we weren't going out, I'd have a few for you."

"I'm sure you would." She mumbled, head stuck in the shirt. She shook her head once she cleared the neck and looked down. "Hair up or down?"

He gave a hum, looking at the locks tumble around her shoulders. "You can do ponytail or loose and still look good." He stood and circled her for extra effect, eyes drifting down to her butt as he passed. "But you might want to bring something in case you get too hot." He snatched a brown jacket off the desk and handed it over. "Mission accomplished. Now, was that so hard?"

She stuck her tongue out at him and went for a box at the bottom of her closet with the previously mentioned flats. "I'm not answering that."

His eyes playfully narrowed. "Which means no. So...that also means that I should come and dress you on occasion?" His chest puffed out. "I DO have plenty of experience. Plus, your wardrobe is fun to play with. Very interesting compared to my usual. I should have you dress me sometime in something."

"Fat chance, walking Gabriel logo." She mumbled, slipping her shoes on. She stood and noticed the raised brow. "You have the shawl. But...maybe I'll make you something later for your birthday...whenever it shows up."

He grinned. "You have roughly a month then."

She blinked, the tidbit being filed away in her head. She grabbed a chunk of cash and stuck it in a pocket before turning to face him. "Okay. Ready to go. Let's go meet everyone."

01010

"Don't pay for me!"

"Does she do this for everything?"

"I can afford my own cover!" She insisted, pouting when he handed over euro to cover both of their entrances.

He grabbed her elbow and tugged her inside, ignoring Alya's verbal retorts to just let him pay. "I know you can, but what kind of gentleman would I be if I don't let a lady have money for drinks later?"

"As if. I'm not drinking alcohol." She argued, voice quickly rising above the beat they were approaching.

'I should have bought ear plugs.' She groused, the noise becoming almost unbearable compared to the silence in her dorm.

"Glad you could make it!"

She looked over and found approaching wide arms. She smiled and mimicked Nino, embracing him as they met just past the entrance in front of the archway to the dance floor. "You've got the place jumping already." She shouted near his ear.

Nino patted a shoulder, finger waving in her face. "Oh no, no, no my dear Mar. I've yet begun to get really into it." A hand waved Adrien and Alya over to a table. "Come, come! Don't pick yourself a table. Give me your coats and I'll store them away under my chair for a while so we don't have to worry about that."

Alya stopped in front, handing her coat over with one hand, the other reaching out and clasping Nino's neck. Once her hand was free, she flicked the hat back as he neared and gave him a quick, deep kiss.

Nino looked into dark eyes covered by dancing lights on her glasses and smirked. "Been a long set of tests?"

"Don't even ask. Just get us some drinks." Alya grumbled in his ear. "We'll see if we can get her to take one for now and try our luck later."

Nino grinned, heading off to stash the coats and grab something from the bar. Alya turned to the pair, finding Adrien already wanting to get on the floor with Marinette looking only slightly interested in joining the expanding masses.

There was a sudden change in lyrics, the song abruptly changing from one beat to a different one of the new intro. Her brow rose as she looked to the box, seeing Nino give a thumb's up. She could see his grin from the lights of his laptop and smiled back.

Her thumb went up in response, smirk widening. Now all that needed to happen was see if they could get one or two drinks in their unsuspecting friend and watch the fun.

 _Adrien's_ _outfit_ _inspiration:_ _pinterest com/pin/267893877809425152/_

 _Marinette's_ _outfit_ _inspiration:_ _assets vogue com/photos/57d19f55ae911de23b9d3522/master/pass/01-tomas-maier-spring-2017-rtw jpg_


	50. Not one for the dance floor

**What** **are** **you,** **what** **are** **you**

 **Waiting** **for**

Her head bounced in time to the beat and she watched the crowd until movement caught her eye. She looked over to find Adrien bouncing in his spot, just barely jumping in time with the beat that cropped up. Her lips tilted as she watched his excitement build, the longing look in his eyes.

She neared him and tugged him down to her level. "Do you want to go out there?" She shouted, pointing to the floor.

He looked to her, arm whipping around her back and pinning her to his front. "Only if you're coming with me." He smiled.

 **Waste** **no** **time** **and** **say**

 **Here's** **our** **hide-a-way**

 **This** **night** **ain't** **gonna** **fade** **away**

The beat came upon them and she never got a chance to deny his request. His hand quickly found hers, his stronger stature pulling her to the floor. They stopped at the edge, not having time to weave through the crowd when he let go and started jumping to the beat.

He was a terrible dancer. That thought went through her head as she worried about her own dancing abilities. She knew she wasn't that good, but the main difference between her and Adrien was that he didn't seem to care about how well he did. He was used to having eyes on him from the catwalk, although he didn't have to care what people thought of him here.

She watched him bob his head to the beat, his legs propelling him a little into the air about every second. He seemed to have forgotten her as the crescendo built and then smashed over them with the beat again. His hands found hers as he swung their arms to and fro as wide as he could without being off-tempo.

She smiled, a little taken in by his silly behavior to be too nervous about everyone else who may or may not be looking at her. She didn't even have time to get into the song before the male singer finished the last lyrics and then it abruptly stopped.

The new song intro was a tad slow compared to the ending of the last song; slow enough that she stopped and attempted to make a quick exit to some random table they hadn't even claimed yet. The beat quickly built with anticipation and expectation to something which still didn't have words.

"Where are you going?" He demanded, pouting that she tried to get away.

"I was just going to get us a table!" She shouted back in his ear.

"Let Alya do that!" He responded, swaying to the beat with her suddenly pinned against him.

 **Have** **you** **ever** **noticed** **that** **I'm** **not** **acting** **as** **I** **used** **to** **do** **before**

 **Have** **you** **ever** **wondered** **why** **I** **always** **keep** **on** **coming** **back** **for** **more**

Her eyes widened as the lyrics hit her ears, too stunned as she listened to them and how they made her heart pound. How the strength of his hold increased. How she was pressed up against him in an outfit she once thought was unfitting compared to what she had previously seen on him.

He swayed with her, arm clenched and the muscles twitching while they moved. Adrenaline shot through her so fast she almost couldn't catch her breath. Thinking was suddenly difficult as her feet stumbled to keep pace with him, though they weren't even going that fast.

 **You** **really** **are** **my** **ecstasy**

 **My** **real** **life** **fantasy,** **oh** **yea**

The hair falling out of his hat covered just enough of his eyes to make him look dangerous. She stared at him in the low lighting, arms shaking from the high the music suddenly put her in. She was captured by the woman's voice and the story it wove around them, the electric keyboard drowning out any other possible noise. The darkness caused everyone else to disappear and all she could see were the lights flashing in his eyes.

 **Not** **that** **I'm** **complaining**

 **A** **more** **beautiful** **vision** **I** **have** **ever** **seen**

A hand came up to grab his arm for support, feeling like her legs would give out before the song was over before she could find the will to stand. The beat was deep in her chest and it almost felt like it was directing her heart rate, causing it to go as staccato as the music was.

Only when the final singing note suddenly ended and the piano slowed everything down was she even aware of anything outside of his hold and the look in his eyes. She shook her head when the keyboard started echoing out, pushing away and stumbling back a step to gain her wits.

A sudden keyboard beat started up so abruptly with a less erotic beat. Adrien moved with it again and she could barely adjust to it before the words started up.

 **She's** **aware** **in** **her** **own** **little** **way**

 **Fading** **in** **and** **out** **of** **the** **day**

Her chest heaved in attempt to get air in as the lyrics pierced her on a level that she had no defense for. Her head swam just a little as she tried to dance and failed, feeling Adrien's hands on her arms question in his eyes as to her behavior.

 **The** **disease** **is** **deep** **in** **her** **eyes**

 **So** **she** **might** **as** **well** **drown** **in** **the** **thing** **that** **saves** **her**

"Are you okay?" He asked, arms lightly going around her back.

The breath in her ear made her shiver. Her hand clutched his t-shirt, forehead pressing against part of his chest. She gave a quick nod, not wanting him to worry about her ten minutes after they stepped inside the place. She pushed away and forced a smile, fanning her face as if to feign heat exhaustion already. She tried her best to power through the music, tried to keep moving and play off how much it had affected her mood.

 **Can** **you** **take,** **can** **you** **take,** **can** **you** **take** **me** **over?**

The song ended as quickly as it came on, a different beat with yet a different feel coming to it.

 **Just** **around** **the** **corner** **everything** **is** **shining** **gold**

 **A** **new** **kind** **of** **soldier** **looking** **for** **a** **lot** **of** **soul**

She stepped back, edging her way from the dance floor. She turned to find Alya watching them from a nearby table and grabbed Adrien's arm. She could have sworn there was a thread of amusement there, but maybe it was just the low lighting? She tugged on Adrien's arm and thankfully he followed her, not asking any other questions which she didn't know how to begin to answer.

"Having fun?" Alya shouted, smiling.

She plopped in the chair, grateful it was sturdier than her legs were in that moment. Her arms rested on cold wood, using the temperature difference to bring her out of whatever trance the music had done. It was still too loud and she was really wishing she had those ear plugs right about now.

 **This** **time,** **your** **life**

 **Fractions** **and** **seconds** **make** **eternity** **in** **just** **one** **night**

 **So** **come** **on,** **stand** **out**

"Having fun?"

She looked over to find Nino joining them, a small tray holding four shot glasses on it. She eyed it suspiciously, especially when there was exactly one for each of them.

"I'm not drinking." She loudly denied, hands waving in front of her.

"You are required to have one drink." Nino denied, pushing the cup of liquor at her.

She stared at it, him, and back at it. She smelled it, nose wrinkling at whatever powerful alcohol was inside. "What exactly is it?"

"Cognac." Nino proudly proclaimed. He picked up his glass and held it out for a toast. "I say we toast to Adrien's first time in my club, university vacation, and no more exams."

"I second the no more exams." Alya echoed, holding her glass up.

"I'll toast to my first time here." Adrien piped up, copying them.

They were waiting for her to pick up her glass and it was the last thing she wanted to do. She didn't remember the last time hard liquor had touched her lips. Wine was more than enough and it had been since Noel since she had been able to enjoy any of it. Getting drunk in Nino's club wasn't on her agenda, especially since she didn't eat a large dinner so she didn't lose it on the dance floor. She knew she was a lightweight and tried to act accordingly to it.

"One is all I ask Mar." Nino verbally nudged her arm with a smile. "It's not going to kill you. I've tested it earlier already."

She sighed and picked the drink up, holding it near the awaiting trio and clinked it with the others. She watched them all slam the alcohol and tried to sip hers, but the flavor was too strong and she almost gagged on it. She quickly shot the rest back to keep the harsh flavor off her tongue for the rest of the night.

"Ack! Gross!" Her head shook with a shudder, hand waving in front of her open mouth.

Adrien grinned and looked to their friends. "She's not much of a drinker, is she?"

"She's tiny. What do you expect?" Nino cracked.

Alya smirked and tugged Adrien forward, bypassing Marinette's irritation at Nino's words. She got extremely close to Adrien's ear so she didn't have to shout...and also be heard across the table. "We're hoping to change that tonight." She cryptically supplied, pulling away with a smile.

He pulled away in total confusion, showing it on his face. His eyes strayed to Marinette who was looking like she just sucked on a lemon for the first time and wondered if he needed to keep an eye on her later. Cognac was strong and, like Nino said, she was short and thin. One shot might be all she needed.

He perked up as he was aware of the previous song giving way to yet another when the lyrics hit his ears over the rise of alcohol pleasantness. He ignored the couple sitting around him and looked to Marinette, who had also tuned in to the words.

 **But** **if** **it's** **love** **it'll** **make** **sure** **you** **won't** **need** **to** **search** **again**

 **And** **if** **it's** **good,** **it'll** **conquer** **all** **the** **doubt** **that** **raged** **within**

He looked to Nino, finding those brown eyes slipping between Marinette and Alya as Alya talked. He was paying more attention to Alya, but his gaze would pass across the table as if checking Marinette for something. He was almost sneaking glances, looking away quickly whenever she was staring in his direction.

 **And** **if** **it's** **love**

 **Well** **I'll** **let** **you** **break** **right** **in**

He looked to Marinette and found her acting strange as she had moments ago on the dance floor. His mouth suddenly dropped open, looking to Nino again. The pair met eyes and his widened in a way that demanded an answer, also suspecting it was already his anyway.

Nino smirked a little before looking away.

 **So** **promise** **to** **pick** **up** **the** **broken** **glass**

 **When** **it's** **my** **heart** **that** **you've** **run** **up** **against**

"I think I'm going to go dance with Nino before he has to head back to the booth." Alya suddenly piped up, sliding from the stool. Nino joined her with a smile a second later and took a step back. "We'll be back in a bit...unless you're joining us?"

He looked over in question. "Marinette?"

She was not okay right now. From the burning of the Cognac down her throat, to the quick effects it had on her small body, to the words that seemed to be attacking her ever since she stepped foot in the club. The last thing she wanted was to act out any kind of inebriation and make a total ass out of herself in Nino's club. She didn't want to embarrass him or Adrien by doing something stupid.

A hand went to her head as she shook it. "Go have fun. I think the Cognac was too strong. I'll just wait it out for a moment and be there in a bit." She responded, leaning on the hand against her temple.

He didn't want to leave her if she wasn't feeling well, but he also didn't come to sit all night. He double and triple checked with her that she would be okay, getting reassurances that she would watch him dance from her spot, before heading out with Nino and Alya.

That was fine; he had questions anyway.

"What did you do?" He loudly demanded, sidling up to Nino.

"Just getting the mood right." Nino answered with a smile, giving most of his attention to Alya. The song changed yet again.

 **And** **I** **can't** **do** **it** **any** **other** **way**

 **Repeat** **every** **single** **word** **we** **said**

"Mood for what? If you think I need help right now, I don't!" He looked over to the table, finding Marinette with a hand covering her face. "You're messing her up! Was this all planned?"

"Mar needs to loosen up. Last time I saw her was when we were sneaking into your venue for all the wrong reasons. Since I had no word as to how you two have been doing, I made a little something to help her along. A kick in the ass if you would."

"I'll be the one to do that!" He loudly groused, plopping a hand on Nino's shoulder. His free hand shot out, finger pointing to the booth. "Now go change that music!"

"Oh my god, you're Adrien Agreste!"

He cringed, the statement crawling up his skin in a slightly unpleasant way. He was more than familiar with such a phrase, one reason he was incognito right now...or trying to be. He didn't want to deal with anyone who recognized his face from a magazine...but that was too much to hope for in a club in Paris. He had wanted to spend a fun evening with his girlfriend and not worry about the ramifications of such a statement if it ever occurred.

Slim fingers touched the skin of his arm. "Care to dance, handsome?"

 **And** **it's** **fine** **to** **complicate** **it**

 **Complicated's** **all** **I've** **ever** **known**

He looked over to the one addressing him and found the woman hot and showing off just enough cleavage to get his eyes falling on instinct. He mentally slapped himself and berated himself for his behavior, especially when he was shoved into the woman as someone smaller than him brushed by into the crowd.

"Where is she going?"

His eyes whipped over to find the crowd in his way, somewhat paranoid. He turned back for the table, finding it empty and looked for the way she had gone. "Which way did she go?" He asked grabbing Nino's arm and ignoring the stranger.

"Probably the bar if the angle she was walking indicates anything."

His brow furrowed, but he nodded and headed after her. The place wasn't that big, but the bar was long. Thankfully, she was one of the few people there and with as short as she was, not to mention all the red she was wearing, it was easy to spot her.

 **Even** **if** **I** **doubt** **for** **just** **a** **second**

 **I** **can** **still** **find** **the** **right** **in** **being** **wrong,** **so** **wrong**

"Marinette, are you okay?" He asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Her head suddenly jutted back, hand slamming the shot glass on the counter as she finished downing it. She exhaled the breath she had held in order to toss the liquor back. Her tongue stuck out at the flavor, wondering if she would ever get used to it along with pondering how crazy she was to have a second one.

'I guess if Adrien gets hit on again, I'm going to have another one of these to handle this...' She darkly vowed, sullenly looking to the empty glass.

The thought of dating a very famous, very rich model had always been with her and it was why she was initially nervous around him. Finding out he was a guy like any other helped her get over herself a little, but public situations like this reminded her just who he was when she thought it didn't matter.

"Marinette, answer me. Are you okay?"

 **Repeat** **every** **single** **word** **we** **said**

 **And** **I** **won't** **justify**

He had been around the world to showcase his face and body to the masses. He made clothes look good. He was smooth, handsome, funny in his own way, charming, and chivalrous. Girls could, and probably had, easily swarmed around him for his attention. To catch moments with them like he was currently giving to her right now.

But he wasn't dating them. He had picked her. He was dating her right now and he had given her a year and a half of his time when she didn't even ask of it. The thought clobbered her over the head and she wasn't going to let anyone else be confused about him in this place any longer.

She whipped to him, staring up to his backwards cap and all black outfit. Before she could think, the alcohol already burning up the ability, a hand snaked out and grasped his t-shirt. She yanked him to her, lips harshly pressing against his.

He was too stunned at her strength to react, tasting more Cognac on her lips. He was about to push her away and see if she needed anything when she pulled away and put a hand on his arm. He suddenly noticed that the song wound down, going into another just as quickly.

The lyrics of course, were something Nino had picked out to hit right where they didn't need to go, too.

 **Couldn't** **this** **just** **be,** **for** **me**

 **Couldn't** **you** **set** **yourself** **free**

She didn't feel able to form words, so turned to him and waved him to follow her. The beat was heavy in her chest, invading her ears. It was fast, staccato, pervasive. Her hips swayed as she went to the dance floor, feeling much better after that second shot. The worry about everyone else's eyes left her at the nostalgic feel of liquor in her system.

 **You're** **running** **the** **wrong** **way**

 **Stop** **trying,** **trying** **to** **be** **what** **you're** **not** **meant** **to** **be**

He was drawn to her as she somehow whipped those thin hips to the beat as she walked, following as the only other thing he could do. He watched how she glided around people, slipping around them as if she were water going around rocks. His brow went up at such drastic change in behavior, wondering if she was as much of a lightweight as she was acting. He suddenly remembered her earlier dislike of wanting anything to drink and wondered if she had a second shot because of the woman on the dance floor.

Why else would she drink when she obvious hadn't wanted to in the first place?

"Marinette...listen..." His hand landed on her shoulder, trying to steady himself when someone bumped into him from behind. She had stopped in the center of the floor, not caring that there was little room to move around.

Her hips swayed with the beat, arms waving over her head.

The buzz felt good. It bust open the guard door of her emotions, dulled the sharpness of them enough for her to enjoy the lyrics much more than she had since she stepped foot in the club. She didn't care if they were strangely close to home; they were all true and with two shots in her, she heard more of the beat anyway. With two shots, she was able to agree with the words and go with them.

He was too concerned with her altered state to be able to enjoy the ambiance entirely, trying instead to get her face him and talk to him. She barely paid attention to him until the song changed again, becoming more sultry and a different feel surrounding them.

 **You're** **the** **one** **that** **turns** **me** **on**

 **Been** **waiting** **for** **you,** **oh** **so** **long**

The sexiness of the singer, of the lyrics, fogged her head over to the one thing that worked her up so heavily. Her body pulsed with the music and him so near, feeling delectably turned on. She turned to him, drawn with a need to touch him and sway with him in time with the beat.

Her hands snaked up his chest, the look in her eyes inviting. A coy smile crept up her lips. Her hips moved, partially out of time...until his hands floated down to cover them and direct her more in time with his movements. Until his fingers pressed into her skin past cotton and kept her there.

 **I** **want** **to** **start** **anew** **never** **saying** **I'll** **make** **do**

 **You've** **won** **me** **over** **again** **with** **your** **loving** **charms**

She wasn't a good dancer and neither was he. It was hard to move in time without stumbling into her or visa versa. It must have taken almost a minute of the song to get the rhythm to where she was in sync with him, but when it happened it was glorious.

She was inches from him, short and in bright red and dark black in an outfit he had picked out for her. The ponytail swayed with her movements, taunting him to touch her neck. She stared at his chest, too unable to keep her balance with all of the people and the liquor and their height difference. Eventually, she turned and leaned against him, his arm around her to steady her and keep time.

 **You're** **the** **one** **that** **turns** **me** **on**

 **With** **someone** **else** **it** **feels** **so** **wrong**

If Nino had picked out a bunch of songs and created a playlist to screw with Marinette's head, he rightly should be pissed. He wanted to step up and yell at their friend for doing something unnecessary. It hurt her in the beginning and she hadn't looked to be enjoying herself.

Not that she was particularly gung-ho about coming in the first place, if he recalled.

Whatever effect Nino had been hoping for must have done what he was looking to achieve. She had become entranced with everything Nino had put together, looking in no mood to stop. Even if it took two drinks for her to get on the dance floor with him like this, pretty much glued to his front with her hands on him.

He didn't want to think she was this drunk already, but the way she was pawing at him threw him around in opposite directions. Part of him wanted to pull her to a dark corner and touch her back, but another part of him wanted her to just enjoy herself on the floor and let loose. She never had enough fun and perhaps the Cognac could help shake her walls a little.

The new beat that sprung up was different than any they'd heard so far, the feel changing yet again.

 **You're** **not** **alone,** **I'll** **wait** **till** **the** **end** **of** **time** **for** **you**

 **Open** **your** **mind,** **Surely** **it's** **time** **to** **be** **with** **me**

It was too hard to dance to the beat against him like she had with the last, so she spun out of his arms, though staying close enough to touch him. At this point, the crowd had increased and it was too hard to get very far anyway.

Not that she wanted to anyway.

Her shoulders moved to the beat, hand coming up to swipe across his chest. Her hips swayed as she turned. She lost everyone outside of their tiny space, the moving bodies just faceless and providing ambiance. He was here with her and from the way he held her, he was as entranced with her as she was with him.

His hand lashed out and grasped hers when she spun just a little too far out of his reach for his liking. He pulled her back in, bumping them together a little too harshly and stumbling a step. He steadied them, breathing heavily from the exertion and what she had woven around them.

 **I** **will** **not** **falter** **though**

 **I'll** **hold** **on** **'till** **your** **home**

She was as intoxicating as any shot he could have and while the Cognac had given him that pleasant fuzzy feeling, it was nothing compared to the music Nino had put together to spin a spell around them. As they danced to song after song, he gave up on wanting to yell at Nino for doing this to Marinette. She lost herself in the songs and he lost himself in her. The feeling was glorious and while he didn't plan on thanking the man, he would at least acknowledge the job he did.

She didn't want to get off the dance floor. The crowd bled together, Adrien's face the only thing she could see. Nino and Alya were forgotten for the one person she mainly came to spend time with. He danced in front of her, stuck in her mind, crawling through her veins. He was just as potent as what she had drank and the earlier bout of jealousy fizzled as she danced with him.

She had no intention of getting off the dance floor lest she leave him alone to get preyed on by other women. 'Mine...he's mine...mine...' Her brain repeated as she stared into his eyes. He was going out with her and she'd be damned if she let another woman near him!

 _ALL ATB:_

 _Song_ _1:_ _youtube com/watch?v=HVINNOCxF88,_ _What_ _are_ _you_ _waiting_ _for_

 _Song_ _2:_ _youtube com/watch?v=1bVYgYW6410,_ _Ecstacy_

 _Song_ _3:_ _youtube com/watch?v=4vIGS7YJgVw,_ _Take_ _me_ _over_

 _Song_ _4:_ _youtube com/watch?v=9rH1kT8EIOU,_ _Could_ _you_ _believe_

 _Song_ _5:_ _youtube com/watch?v=4w5ndIgfKik,_ _If_ _it's_ _love_

 _Song_ _6:_ _youtube com/watch?v=-LwEZqS9_-o,_ _Justify_

 _Song_ _7:_ _youtube com/watch?v=yon-q7NOSHs,_ _Running_ _a_ _wrong_ _way_

 _Song_ _8:_ _youtube com/watch?v=dgu3gHeXM3w,_ _Here_ _with_ _me_

 _Song_ _9:_ _youtube com/watch?v=sxZoKVyrrkU,_ _You're_ _not_ _alone_


	51. Needing the right song

The night loomed on with time ticking by in the darkness. They had been on the floor for too long, for too many songs to count. He didn't mind it, but after the sweat had well-soaked his t-shirt and the need for water had become too strong, he needed a break. Even with as sexy and enticing as she had been, he couldn't take it anymore. His legs hurt and his back hurt. He tried to accommodate her shorter height in order to dance with her, but it had done a number on his legs. He was ready to sit down with a bottle of water in his hand.

Problem was, she looked in no mood to stop.

Another problem was the song they were listening to and how it made her fingers stay on his torso more than half of the others.

 **Don't** **ever** **hesitate** **to** **call** **me** **too**

 **You're** **the** **light** **in** **my** **storm**

He wondered if Nino planned on the entire night of songs devoted to making Marinette consider their relationship. He didn't mind some of the effects because he had a feeling if she had any less alcohol in her, or the songs were much more random, she'd be sitting out half of their time on the floor and be utterly bored out of her mind.

He didn't know what to think about how to act. He wanted to be upset with his friend, but she wasn't letting him away long enough to find Nino to reprimand him. He still intended on letting Nino, and probably Alya, know that their help wasn't needed any longer. An odd thought hit him halfway through the same song when she acted like she couldn't keep her hands off him, like she couldn't bear to part with him.

Was it perhaps more the random woman that was the last straw instead of the liquor and Nino's selection?

 **Unlock** **the** **chains** **that** **are** **holding** **you**

 **Feels** **like** **I'm** **home** **when** **I'm** **next** **to** **you**

This was nice. She didn't think she would ever enjoy such moments with him. The buzz had rearranged and settled itself in a cozy niche in her body, allowing her to act on emotions which she had lined up behind her responsibilities. Except they were on vacation and she didn't give a damn about orders right now.

She didn't know how much or just how she liked him, but when she stopped thinking about trying to identify everything and go with the flow, her emotions burst forth and enveloped her as heavily as the Cognac did.

 **Replaying** **a** **memory** **to** **keep** **you** **in** **my** **mind**

 **And** **I'm** **waiting** **for** **another** **chance to** **look** **into** **your** **eyes**

"Marinette, I need water." He urged, leaning for her ear. Her arms went around his neck, her waist still swinging . His arm went around her back, eyes looking for the general direction of the tables. "You do, too. Come on, let's go sit down."

"But I'm dancing!" She whined, arms clenching.

"You need a break." He reiterated, using his strength to pull her close. He nudged around the bodies of other dancers, hand tightly holding hers.

 **And** **there** **is** **no** **excuse**

 **'Cause** **I'm** **living** **on** **the** **memories** **we'll** **make**

"Looking good out there." Alya mused, grinning at Adrien's somewhat disgruntled look.

"She needs water and so do I." He retorted, helping Marinette steady herself. "You sit here and I'll go get us some water."

Marinette's hand grasped his arm before he could get a step away. "Don't go by yourself!" She pouted. "You're going to get hit on by random, strange women again!"

He blinked at her, mouth opening and closing as the only thing he could do. He looked to Alya to find her shoulders shaking, obviously trying not to laugh at them, and glowered at her. "This is your fault!" He accused, pointing at her.

Alya just grinned and leaned forward on the table. "Has she gone off and been all 'I love you, Adrien' yet?"

"I'm not that drunk!" Marinette retorted, arms tightly crossing. She made a disgusted face as she suddenly realized how sweaty she was and pulled her arms away. "I'm all gross! Yuck! How long have we been out there?"

Alya looked down to her phone. "Probably an hour or more. I've been chatting with Nino after he went back in the booth." She held up her phone with the text log in it. She suddenly smirked. "He thinks you guys need some practice getting used to a beat."

She stuck her tongue out at her friend, ignoring the laughter. "I'm going with him to get some water." Her nose suddenly wrinkled. "Except the money in my pocket is probably all sweaty by now..."

Alya's head shook. "Nino grabbed us each one for the evening. Especially after he saw you two not leaving." Her hand dipped down to the chair near her, putting two bottles in the center for them to take.

His hand shot out and grabbed one, opening it and downing half of the contents before coming up for air. His chest heaved and he seriously wanted to pour the rest over his head to cool off, but the chill of the water was felt all the way down his esophagus into his stomach and it was nice.

Alya snorted, going back to her phone, fingers typing. "Someone is thirsty." She stared at them, staring at them with a critical eye. "Done for the night?"

He plopped into the chair now that he didn't need to be standing anymore. "What time is it?"

"Just past midnight."

"Already?!" Marinette blurted out, eyes wide. She looked to the floor to find a sea of people and the space they were in taken up by someone. She was suddenly amazed at how they managed to stay out in all of that for so long, let alone not fall against someone with everyone bumping into each other.

It was much cooler away from everyone and the fans from above could be felt a lot more. The more she sat and rested, the more the cool air chilled the sweat on her body and made her wish she had her coat. The burning in her legs from so much use was starting to make itself known and she wondered if she was going to need a seriously hot shower to combat the soreness whenever she woke up next.

"How's Nino doing?" He piped up, not wanting to leave their friend despite his being in the middle of work.

"Nino is good. He's been well entertained from you two." Alya smirked. "As have I." She locked eyes with blue, a knowing smile coming to her. "See what happens when you get a little help to loosen up?"

She pouted, knowing what they had done in the past to get her to take one drink and how much she enjoyed herself from it later.

He pondered Alya's words and looked to the one next to him. She was using the table to help keep her upright, also sucking on the water bottle. He had a feeling she wasn't used to this and wondered if she was done, but it hadn't caught up to her yet.

Perhaps they should get going before that happened and getting back to the dorm was more of a chore than he needed it to be.

"I think we've been here for the acceptable club time." He finished the water and put the cap back on. He met Alya's eyes with a smile. "How many of these songs were written by Nino?"

"Oh, the tracks he made for Marinette were done by him." Alya ignored glaring blue.

He smiled and nodded. "Then relay to him that we'll be by his store later in the day tomorrow...or today I guess. I'd like some of these songs for myself." He looked to Marinette to find her watching him. "For now, I say we head back and go get some sleep."

"Shower first." She added, tongue sticking out at the thought of just climbing into bed like she was.

He leaned over, smile widening, as he found her ear. A hand lightly rested on her shoulder. "If you want, I'll help you get your back."

She met his eyes when he pulled away, her own impossibly wide. He was giving her "that look" and it hit her in the gut. The alcohol burned her a different way, but it felt too good.

Her lips curled on their own in response to his offer, face heating in the dark.

"I'll go get our coats." He looked over, sliding off the stool with a need to get away from her lest he give himself away at how she was affecting him already. "Are you staying here?"

Alya nodded, hand going for her water bottle. "I've just been enjoying the show. Maybe after you leave, I'll go hang out with Nino in the booth for a bit." She smirked. "Pity it's not a one-way mirror."

"That's it. We're out of here." She slammed hands on the table and pushed off from her chair with the momentum. A finger snaked out, finding her friend amused at the reaction. "I don't need to hear about any R-rated exploits with Nino, whom I think of too much as a brother as it is."

Alya's fingers playfully wagged as they stepped back. "Toodles. Have fun going home."

She didn't want to put the jacket on and get it sweaty as well, but the second they were outside and the cold hit, she didn't have a choice. "It's cold!" She whined, trying to huddle her arms into the fabric.

"We'll be warmer when a taxi shows up soon." He mumbled, eyes looking for one cruising the area. It thankfully didn't take long for one to near their area, especially when she tried to burrow in his side as if she were freezing to death. "You'll be fine!"

"I'm cold. Snuggle with me!"

A brow rose. "You can't possibly be this drunk on two shots."

She pouted, slightly glaring at him. "I'm not that drunk on two shots. What do you take me for anyway?"

His hand plopped down on her head as he made for the approaching vehicle. "A lightweight, that's what. Didn't you eat before we showed up?"

"No. I didn't want to puke on the dance floor."

He stifled a groan, arm going around her back when a taxi slowed to a stop near them. He opened the door and let her climb in first, shutting it behind him. He gave directions to the driver, who pulled away the second they were done.

That was all it took for her to cuddle back up against his side.

His arm instinctively went around her, but he pulled away enough to look down. "I think you're a liar on the drunk part. We're going to go back and sober you up. Or I'll just toss you in your bed so you can pass out for the evening."

"That sounds so boring." Her arm went around his torso, cheek nuzzling his t-shirt. She stopped when she got barraged with sweat. She sat back enough to look at him, finding him slightly amused. "You're all sweaty."

"So are you, but I'm not saying anything." His fingers reached down and tweaked her nose. "You're not one of those weepy drunks, are you?"

"No!" She groused, slapping his chest.

"Mopy?"

"No..." She retorted, looking put out.

"Angry?"

"As if."

"Other?"

It took a moment for her brain to connect with what he was insinuating. It was such a vague connotation that she stared at him for a moment. It took "that look" for her to figure it out and when she did, her eyes flew open. Her mouth bobbed closed, trying to find words, suddenly aware of the trailing fingers up her arm.

She harshly swallowed, heart jumping past the taxi to her dorm room. She suddenly wondered just what was going to happen the second they got into one of their dorms...not caring and wishing the taxi would hurry up just a little bit.

His lips tilted as her breathing hitched and his face leaned a little closer to hers. "Hmm...I wonder what you're going to act like with two shots in you..."

Her head had been fuzzy half the night and he was stealing the rest of her brain as it was right now. Her hands shook, thighs burning with a need only he could fix. Her tongue flicked out in her nerves and caught his eyes, caused his hand to clasp her chin and keep her there.

He attacked her lips. She had been tantalizing the whole night and those songs had affected not just her. Some of the more erotic ones had him beside himself with so many emotions, all of them directed to her. He had a few of Nino's cds and some of the songs he was slightly familiar with.

Thankfully, a huge chunk of his cds were burned onto his laptop to play back whenever he wanted.

She clutched at his shirt, breathing choppy. She barely felt the hum of the car over what he was causing in her. The Cognac was still potent enough that her mind wiped itself clear and she responded to it, nails scraping up his muscles.

His sense of control was about ready to throw her onto the cushions of the taxi, but they stopped in front of the dorms and he was grateful that traffic in the middle of the night wasn't as bad as it was during the day. He regrettably let her go and paid the driver, shuffling out and using the cold air to calm himself down so he looked slightly presentable for the walk upstairs in case anyone else was up this late.

She shuffled near him, impossibly turned around and wishing he wasn't stopped. A small thread of common sense broke through the clouds and she wanted to be embarrassed at making out in the presence of someone else, but one look from him covered that thread back up.

He stared down at her, finding her red in the face and eyes impossibly wide. He flashed a dashing smile and wrapped his arms around her, pinning hers between their chests. "Now...which room should we hole up in for the rest of the night? I like mine better..." He murmured in her ear.

Her legs quivered, words failing her. She clutched at his shirt, completely unable to think. It didn't matter which room she was in right now, but it might in the morning when she didn't want to put on sweaty clothes to go get new ones.

'Hmm...maybe I should start stashing spares in his closet...'

His tongue flicked out and caught her ear, getting a gasp. "That okay with you? There's something I'd like to do up there."

She managed a shaky nod and wondered how she was going to put one foot in front of the other when she couldn't remember where her legs were...even as unsteady as they were. She was vaguely aware of his arm around her, or hers going around him. She ducked past him when he held the door open for her, a sense of anticipation building. All she could think of was she was walking to Adrien's room to be a willing prisoner to whatever he wanted to do to up there...to her hopefully.

She held her breath for almost half the walk at that thought.

The lock was loud, the silence of his room thick. He tossed his coat on the desk chair, quietly taking hers. He watched how jumpy she was and wanted very much to make her jump even more, but knew she would want to clean up. As did he.

"Why don't you go shower first." He murmured, eyes roaming her on their own accord. He leaned against his desk, warring with wanting to help her undress, yet wanting to go through his playlist.

She looked to him, finding that somewhat unbecoming outfit on him and couldn't help herself. She strode right to him and promptly took the cap off his head, free hand ruffling his hair back to how she had always known. "There. That's something of a help."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her back when she leaned against him to get the hat. "Should I take the shirt off, too?"

Her lips briefly pressed together, eyes going to his chest she was all but draped against. Her heart sped up and she was suddenly aware of how fast his was going. She went to speak, unable and licked her lips instead.

"I'll take that as a 'yes' then." His head dipped. She looked up in response and he rested his lips on her forehead. "But, after you." His hand reached down and lightly slapped her behind. "Go shower. I'm getting cold."

She yelped and jumped against him, not doing them any good. She shuffled from his embrace with a slight glare and stepped away. "Why do men always feel the need to slap my ass?" She blurted out to herself, hands pulling her top off. It was momentarily stuck on her head and she had to peel her arms out of the sleeves.

He watched everything and the curve of her back show itself. He harshly swallowed, wanting to lose the rest of their clothes and skip what he originally wanted to do. Her comment somewhat registered as she tossed the shirt and pants on the floor out of the way, and he was behind her before he could think of doing so.

She jumped when cold hands went over her stomach, but a shot of adrenaline dulled it. His hands drifted both north and south, the strength of his arms helping to keep her upright when he attacked both places at once.

He leaned down enough to be able to get to her neck, lips brushing her skin. "Because no one can ever keep their hands off you." He licked a vein, getting a gasp. "Myself especially."

She shivered at the low tone. She arched against him, partially cold yet burning as his hand moved in her underwear. An arm floated up and attached itself to his neck for stability, his hands taking that as an invitation to pull her bra up and play with her.

There was something he needed to be doing and it wasn't this, but he couldn't pull himself away right now. He brushed against her, exhaling as he connected with what he wanted to touch and getting a whimper from her. The more he touched hot skin, his hands seeing for him, the more his main intention was forgotten. He didn't even know if he was going to be able to let her shower, let alone get one himself before he did these things to her all over again.

He was dangerous, but she had known that a long time ago. He wasn't hesitant to make her crazy and touch her in any way to achieve those means, but it was quickly becoming something she wanted from him. She had forgotten what she was supposed to be doing, just trying to focus on standing amongst the tidal waves and breathe properly.

He mentally shouted at himself to focus so they could clean up, but the devil on his shoulder demanded he explain how he could just let Marinette walk away when she stripped down to her underwear in front of him. He begrudged that fact and its difficulty, giving in just a little longer. His hands brushed past her ribcage to the strap and unclasped it. He stepped away, every sensation yelling at him as he did so, and trying to breathe.

She was cold and felt taken from every beautiful thing she couldn't name, and definitely not liking it. She looked to him with a pout, wanting to demand why he stopped, when she noticed how red in the face he was, along with how he was already mentally having sex with her by that look in his eyes.

"Go...shower..." He nearly panted, eyes roaming her chest. His hands twitched, but he took another step back, lest he forget what he wanted to do for the ambiance of it all.

She harshly swallowed, legs very much wanting to take her in his direction. She glumly nodded and suddenly smirked. Her thumbs hooked into the sides of her underwear and quickly took them off before chucking them at his head. "Why don't you hold onto these for me while I do that..." She grinned and took a step away, watching him almost physically restrain himself from going after her. She tried not to laugh at his discomfort, wanting to pay him back for how bad he made her burn without extinguishing the flames. She peeked out from the door, foot rubbing up the archway. "I'll try to be quick." She sing-songed.

The door clicked shut and he leaned against his desk for support, free hand running over his face. "Damn temptress..." He growled, lips tilting. God how he loved this...

The occupied hand clenched around a pair of still warm, slightly damp panties and he looked to them when lace made itself known to his palm. They were barely big enough to cover up that delectable, tiny ass of hers and he twitched in his jeans. His jaw clenched as he stared, too entranced at knowing what they had just covered up and very much wanting to join her in the lack of shower space pathetically called a bathroom.

He harshly shook his head, mentally vowing he'd tease her just as bad as she just did to him when he had her in his bed soon. He grinned at all the possibilities that roamed his head as he turned to his computer, dropping her underwear next to his laptop. "Maybe you won't find these for a few days..." He mused, eyes drifting to them as they stared back at him. He chuckled as he wondered just where he could hide them so she couldn't find them.

He cleared his throat and tried to concentrate, wanting to be sneaky and sly, knowing she wouldn't take that long to clean up. He wanted to find just the right song for this, but it was difficult. Nino made such great work and he was stuck between three songs, forcing himself to choose one when the shower was shut off.

He quickly closed his laptop when the door swung open and a cloud of steam joined it. A brow went up as he walked over, happy he was fast enough before she wrapped herself up in his towels.

He leaned against the archway, arms crossed for their sakes, as he eyed the spectacle of her drying herself off. His hands were ready to rip the towel to shreds in order to take its place. "Leave any hot water in there for me?"

She smiled, eyes playfully narrowing. "Maybe." She drawled, throwing a towel over her head. She stopped in front of him, dropping the other on his shoulder as she brazenly stood there with only his clothes to shield them. "Maybe not. I don't want you taking forever in here when you could be using that time much more wisely."

He eyed her front and how pleasantly red she was from the temperature. His arms tightened around his torso lest he shove her up against a wall right then and there.

The thought was put aside for later use though.

She pushed past him when he seemed in no hurry to move and stopped in the center of his room. Her arms covered her torso up as the cold hit and she shivered. "I'm borrowing a shirt for now." She declared, striding to his closet and throwing it open. She looked behind a shoulder to find him still watching her with hooded eyes and smirked. "I'm sure you won't mind, right Monsieur?"

He snapped to as she picked out one of his pajama tops and threw it over her head without having to unbutton it. Every feeling for her, genuine and lustful, passed out on the floor right in front of him at seeing her in his clothes for the first time.

She watched the change on his face, the shuffle for her. She smiled, eyes glinting dangerously. Hands demurely clasped behind her back as she purposefully puffed her chest out with the movement and strode to him. "Do I look okay?" She asked, fluttering her eyelashes.

It was long enough to go past her hips, but just barely. Lingerie wouldn't have been as sexy as the tease his own shirt was giving him right now. Her legs were short, the rest of her was normally petite, and the shirt made her look even smaller in his eyes. She looked like a child, but she was acting too sly right now to get away with that image.

Especially with how she was smiling at him, knowing exactly what she was doing to him.

His eyes narrowed at how she was toying with him and loving every second...how he was loving every second of it. His tongue darted out when she gave him a wide-eyed, innocent look, teeth nibbling her lower lip.

That earlier thought of pinning her against the wall suddenly crossed his mind and he gave in.

She gasped as he moved and she was moved too fast to comprehend what was going on. He pushed against her, an arm trapping her against his body, the other pulling wet locks back to force her face to his. Her heart sped up, chest heaving in anticipation at what he'd do next.

He wanted to tear his shirt off and make her pay him back for all of the torment she put him through in the last few minutes alone. She looked amazing with wet hair, in his clothes. Her cheeks were rosy from the shower and her eyes were beautiful. His mouth descended as he forgot, yet again, what he was supposed to be doing.

Her arms went around his neck to stabilize her, one leg shifting up around a thigh. She moaned as he rocked against her again, nails digging into his shoulders. She wanted more...wanted him to throw her on his bed and climb on it and straddle her with those powerful arms of his. To rub his torso over hers and feel his skin with every nerve she possessed.

He pulled away to catch his breath, wondering if they were ever going to get to anything that they were both playing at. All he had to do was get in the shower and be as quick as possible and then nothing would be stopping them from going further!

Except the road of that easy task was paved with sexy, half-naked Marinette and that was a mountain climb in and of itself.

"I'm going to get that shower..." He grumbled, pulling away from her again. His hand drifted down and squeezed skin, getting a gasp for his efforts. "And then nothing is going to keep me from you after that."

She shivered at the frustrated promise in his words, nodding as she took her arms back. She winced at the burning need for him encompassed her and watched him move for the bathroom. Blue eyes were glued to the shirt as he peeled it off his skin, roaming around as her hands had earlier. Teeth gnashed her lip as he unzipped his jeans and pulled his underwear with them. She found out how ready he was for her and it did nothing to help her patience out. Her fingers twitched to touch him and make him feel as frustrated as she was right now.

He looked to her, finding her staring at him as he had her. An arm went for the door as he inched into the room. A finger poked her forehead, barely keeping her attention. "Five minutes." He vowed, eyes ablaze. He leaned for her, lips close to hers. "And then you're mine."

The bathroom door shut with a loud click.

 _ATB_

 _Song_ _1:_ _youtube com/watch?v=g3jO_WZKjTQ,_ _Arms_ _wide_ _open_

 _Song_ _2:_ _youtube com/watch?v=k6IdgJ6B_KI,_ _Right_ _back_ _to_ _you_


	52. These beautiful moments

" _And_ _then_ _you're_ _mine."_

Her knees actually gave out and she stumbled into the wall for stability, lest she end up a simpering puddle on the floor. Every inch of her was shaking with that delectable tone of voice he dropped on her, just before he left her to boil over by herself. She shivered as the words kept reverberating in her head and she winced at the punch to the gut.

She didn't think it was feasibly possible to want someone as much as she wanted him in this second those from words alone.

Hearing the shower did nothing to help her imagination from thinking about how the water was running down his body, finding every crease of muscle as he cleaned up. The urge to rip that shower curtain away and watch him soap himself up was so dire that she clenched her hands and tried to focus on breathing instead.

She forcefully pushed herself off the wall, shaking her head to focus, and wondering how long he would be. She wanted, needed him right now...no, ten minutes ago. She had actually wanted him back on that dance floor and if she were any lesser individual, she would have pulled him to a dark corner and ground against him so hard he wouldn't have lasted.

Tempting...so tempting...

Her legs wouldn't hold her up and she collapsed against his desk, not wanting to dirty his comforter with how she was practically dripping right now. A finger came up and pushed her lower lip in her haze, breath heaving. Her teeth suddenly clamped down on her index finger, the pain feeling oddly good. She licked the teeth marks, imagining his mouth doing the work instead.

This was bad...she wasn't going to last like this.

She turned and clenched her hands over the wood top, trying to focus...tried to wait for him. Nails dug into her palms, but she hardly felt them. Her legs rubbed against each other, getting a quick exhale. Sweat dotted her body as she worked herself up with thoughts of demanding he throw her to his bed and lick every part of her body before he ravaged her.

Her arms buckled a little and she almost face-planted into his laptop.

She gulped in air, every part of herself tingling. A blinking light on the side suddenly, gratefully, pulled her attention away and a hand moved to pull the screen up before she could think.

She stared at his playlist, finding Nino's music everywhere.

She tapped the "enter" button on the highlighted song before she could figure out why he had Nino's music up and stared at the song title. Beautiful, slow bell tones came from the speakers, the singer coming shortly after.

 **If** **you** **got** **a** **secret**

 **You** **know** **you** **can** **always** **count** **on** **me** **to** **keep** **it**

Every emotion focused on the lyrics, losing the heat he had created for something much more intense, much harder to deal with. Her chest squeezed with her feelings, with the thought that he had possibly intended on playing this. Her eyes teared within seconds, hand coming up to quiet the sudden cry that tried to leave her.

 **I** **wanna** **know** **every** **part** **of** **you**

 **And** **I** **want** **you** **to** **know** **me** **too**

The heat he had created was suddenly snatched away with the over-encompassing feeling that she couldn't name. Her eyes swam as she continued to stare at the song title. She listened to the song and how romantic it was, how desperate it was. It was sad and giving, but only one-sided. Tears left in a sudden torrent, free hand digging nails into her skin. She trembled from her feelings, feeling slightly out of control.

The shower kept going, ignorant of her sudden distress.

 **Baby** **you** **can** **use** **my** **love**

 **As** **long** **as** **you** **stay** **with** **me**

She gulped in air, trying to take deep breaths to calm herself down. A hand quickly wiped at the tears on her face, not wanting him to see her crying. The lyrics were beautiful, heartfelt, genuine. This wasn't something to cry over; it wasn't meant to be that way. She tried to control herself as the song wound down.

They hadn't spoken of their feelings, especially her. There hadn't been enough time to dissect everything she was feeling, to really think about what she felt. She was just enjoying the time they were able to spend together around school and their jobs. She knew there was something there by how she had reacted to what he intended on doing just now, but she had no name for it. She didn't want to call it "love" yet, but there WAS something there. She refused to be so hasty with words she couldn't fully back up. He deserved more than that.

She looked to the ceiling when the quiet returned, mind racing. She didn't think she'd stop crying if they sat on his bed and listened to this song. She didn't want to cry in front of him if he was putting his own emotions into this song. She wanted this time to be fun, not filled with tears. She wanted to accept this happily, not sadly. She didn't want to feel any guilt over this.

She didn't know why she'd cry, but she would. She stopped to think of why she would because of these words, but knew that his feelings for her were much farther along than hers were. She had only accepted him into her life like this maybe two months ago and actually spent half of that time with him. She often felt bad for the gap, knowing he had a huge jump-start. He had watched her for a year and took the time to experience everything much slower than she had. If he was holding back, she wouldn't know it because he never said anything. If he had planned on doing so with this song, she didn't know if she could respond as fully as he might be expecting, but she didn't want to disappoint him and see him sad.

She looked to his playlist, hand working the mouse when a sudden thought hit.

Not knowing how much time she had left, she pulled up a search engine and looked up the lyrics to the songs she clicked on. Some of them were from the club and they were nice, but she wanted something from her. If he was ready to make this more romantic than hot, so could she.

She only listened to the first minute of a couple, wanting something to be good and knowing she didn't have much more time left. She was stuck on two of them when she was suddenly aware of the bathroom door swinging open.

Wide blue swung his way, finding him staring with wide eyes, a towel around his waist with the other drying his hair. Her mouth dropped open as she tried to find words to explain riffling through his music. The song she had been listening to was still playing, but left forgotten as she looked away...nervous that he wouldn't like what she was doing. She never asked to touch his computer; she just went and started touching it.

"I...thought I heard something..." He mumbled, feeling uncertain as she stood in front of his laptop. He looked away, one hand idly scrubbing the back of his head dry. He had wanted it to be something of a surprise... "I didn't...didn't plan on much. I thought...maybe...music might be nice... Something like that..."

Her lips pressed together as she looked back to the song that finished. "I...kind of thought...th – that maybe...we could listen to one of these...instead..." She mumbled, face heating up.

His brow furrowed in curiosity as he strode over and looked to one she had highlighted last. He gave a hum, nodding as he remembered the song.

"I'm kind of stuck on two that I'd like to listen to." Her eyes lowered. "Although...th – the one you selected...was nice, too..."

One arm rested next to her on the desk, the other encircling her other side as he focused on his laptop. "Which other one did you have in mine?" He murmured, chin resting on her shoulder.

She was shaking again, but in a good way. He was hot and smelled good from the shower. She inhaled shampoo and aftershave; it was getting to her brain and shutting off rational thought. A trembling finger slowly moved as she pointed to the one on the screen above where the other song was. "Th – this...one..." She mumbled, burning all over again.

Every single move, catch of breath, and shake was caught and relished. His nose turned and rubbed up her neck, lips clamping down on her skin for a moment. Her head bonked against his lightly as it fell back. His arm came up and slowly pressed her front a little closer to him, taken by what she wanted to do.

"Just give me a second." He murmured, putting together a special list on the software with the songs she had chosen, along with his. He typed "M" as the title of the small collection and stepped back. "Good to go." One hand gently grasped an arm and tugged her to face him. His hands returned to straddle her body on the desk, serious eyes staring at her. He enjoyed how she shrank under his nearness, looking at him under her bangs...probably too much. "I just thought it'd be nice."

Her lips pressed together, hands clenching at his shirt. "Y – your song...is nice..." She looked down to his chest, a hand coming out on its own to flatten against his heart. "I really...liked it..."

A tender smile overtook him. One hand left the desk, a finger directing her vision to him. His lips softly touched hers, gently kissing her with all the care he possessed for her. He pulled away and found her eyes glossy when she looked at him. "I like that one, too. It's...honest..."

Her throat clenched as she managed a shaky nod, blinking to keep her tears at bay.

He noticed and pushed off the desk lightly, his fingers brushing past her chin. "Why don't you press play on it and I'll go get us some water..."

She did as ordered, staring at the title as the song started up. She turned it up so they could hear it, but not be bothersome to others around them. Her jaw clenched at the lyrics, but she took a deep breath and refused to act like she did the first time she heard it. She turned to find him standing there with the towels still around him, water bottle in his hand. Her eyes focused on it, head foggy from the music. "Thanks...I am kinda thirsty."

His lips twitched as he popped off the top and let it clack on the desk behind her. "I am, too." He took a step for her as he took a quick swig. His hand went for her chin, mouth closed. Without a word, his lips found hers, forcing them open as he fed the water to her.

She hadn't been expecting such a thing, having never done so. She choked on the water, coughing and shoving him away as she tried to collect herself.

"Sorry..." He mumbled, face heating in embarrassment. "I don't have a whole lot of practice in that."

She waved him off as she tried to breathe enough to talk. She cleared her throat, looking to the bottle hanging in his hand. "It's...okay..." She managed. "I'm new...to that..." She looked to him, giving him a reassuring smile. She reached for the water and he readily gave it to her, not looking her way. "Perhaps if I start off, we can...practice, yea?"

His lips tilted and he nodded. He took her hand and led her to his bed, music still playing.

She let him get situated before she sat in his lap, the towel not doing much to keep them apart. She rubbed against him a little and quickly exhaled, feeling his hands squeeze her hips a second later. She held the water up, looking for his ready, and getting a nod. She took a small sip to start off and put her lips to his.

He directed her on the mechanics and swallowed the water she gave him. He caught her tongue, all of the earlier insistence coming back to him. She responded in kind, the drink mostly forgotten.

The bottle almost fell from her fingers before she suddenly clenched it, not wanting to make a mess on his comforter. She pulled back and took a long drag of it, swallowing it for herself before taking a drink and passing it to him.

His hand clutched at her hair after he finished swallowing the amount she gave, the feel of her tongue on his making him lose control. One hand shifted down and pulled the towel off his shoulders, the other opening the one at his waist.

He pulled back enough to run his lips down her chin. "I want to touch you." He murmured, pushing her chest against his. "I want to do things to you." Dark eyes peeked open and stared at the rest of his room. The feel of her fingers in his hair, pushing him against her, driving him on, was intoxicating. "Nothing is going to keep me from doing so now."

She idly nodded, losing the battle to breathe with his lips trailing over her collarbone. "Touch me, Adrien..." She breathed, shivering when his nails suddenly dug into her hips.

"Say my name again." He requested, licking her.

Her legs twitched at the sexy tone. "Adrien...please...touch me. I need you...Adrien."

 **What** **happens** **with** **me,** **babe**

 **Stay** **with** **me,** **stay** **with** **me**

His brain shut off. His hands went to the buttons on his top, the lyrics to the song helping him keep the mood and take it one button at a time.

Her fingers scraped up his neck and down his arms when he licked every spot where his shirt had been. He helped her lose the ability to think as he brought cold air to her skin, his mouth decimating it and heating her up. She whimpered and shifted her hips, catching him a few times and bucking up.

"I like it when you say my name in that tone of voice." He murmured. "I like when you talk to me in that voice."

She panted as he slowly helped her lay back on the bed. She arched into the hand that strode down her sternum onto the flat of her stomach. She wished he would have continued it much farther down, but he pulled his fingers away just before he reached the small patch of hair. "I...need you...so badly... Please...Adrien...please..."

She was going to kill him with that voice and those words of hers. He straddled her sides, face in her chest. "Why don't you sing to me how badly you want me then..." He suggested, mouth dipping to a breast.

She gasped, hands clutching the sheets. Her legs twitched under him, but his weight was keeping them trapped. She mewled under his hold, head pressing into the mattress. Once she realized her hands were free, they delved into his locks, pushing him down and increasing the strength of his mouth twofold.

Somewhere in the forgotten background, the song changed to one that they had heard in the club.

 **Never** **knew** **what** **I** **was** **supposed** **to** **do**

 **You've** **given** **me** **something** **that** **I** **never** **knew**

She couldn't take it. She wanted to feel him in every pore she possessed. He was making her utterly throb and it was amazing and glorious, but frustrating. She needed more, wanted more. She needed him absolutely.

She blindly shoved him away and pulled his his tongue out of her navel, sitting up and pushing him onto the bed. "Lay back." She breathed. She rested over him, hands shifting over his muscles. She straddled his waist, rubbing up against him a few times before her hands shifted against him, mouth moving to mimic his earlier actions.

He went to touch her as she had him while she worked, but she slapped his hands away and sucked on his chest harshly. Palms covered his eyes as he jumped under her touch, panting at the sensations. He choked when her hand clutched around him and moved. "M – Mari...nette..." He breathed.

She licked down his muscles, finding the ridges and tracing them on his stomach. "Do you want me?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"So...badly..."

"I want you to say my name, too." She looked his way, lips curling a little. "I like it when you say my name like that." Her mouth suddenly covered him without warning.

His hips shot off the bed with a gasp. She slapped away the hand that went to grab her head. He panted as she sucked on him. His hips slowly met her movements, her name leaving his lips as quickly as he could form the syllables.

Her head bobbed, in no mood to stop hearing him moan like that, until a thought entered her head. She wanted him to touch her back as much as she wanted to touch him. She pulled away, hand taking her place, and looked to him. His chest heaved with each breath, hips meeting her fingers. "I want you to touch me back." She murmured, legs shifting.

He didn't have enough of a warning before her knees straddled his arms. His hands shot out at the beautiful curve in his face and he pulled her down to his mouth.

She cried out at the sensations and moved her hand in time with what he was doing. Her mouth descended, whimpering against him when his fingers touched her.

Her hips bucked against him a few times before his arm kept her from doing that and possibly hurting him. She could only take so much more of this. She wanted to him end things like this, to end her, but she wanted to feel him with everything. This was amazing, but part of her felt empty. He could help with that; she needed him to fix that feeling. "Adrien..." She panted, hand still working for her. "I need...you... I want to feel you..."

He stopped and let her move away. He sat up when she made no move for him and towered over her, one hand pressing her against him, the other forcing her chin up. "How do you want me to fuck you?"

Her mouth opened, but words wouldn't form. She tried to answer him, but she couldn't. Her brow furrowed at his words, feeling him barely touch the small patch of hair she had left. "J – just...touch me...please..."

He thought for only a split second before he pulled on her waist and faced her away from him. He didn't waste any time and his fingers scraped her hips, only slightly worried that he'd leave marks later.

She pressed against him as fast as he moved. Her hands gripped the sheets, trying to propel herself backward to meet him going forward. She didn't care if they went faster, not in any mood to go slow any longer. She wanted the ending, knew it was close, wanted to feel it wash over her.

She was going to kill him. He couldn't last against her attack and she was too much. Her urgency drove him on, leeched to him and made him just as demanding. His ears ate up the noises she made, almost as much as he made for her.

A hand crawled up her back and clasped a shoulder. His tongue darted out, barely able to think. "You feel so good...Marinette..." He panted. "I want to hear you...say my name...when you come..."

Her chin arched when he found her hair and tugged. Teeth bit her lip as a hand left the bed and floated in between her thighs...breaking her not even moments later. She moaned his name, biting her lip when he sped up tenfold. All of the gasps in the world weren't enough to help pull in enough air as he returned as fast as he left.

He could only last for so long before the feeling crawled up his spine and he came on her back. He shuddered, spine almost curling into itself as he panted against the waves, hands clutching at her waist for stability.

Her arms finally gave out and her upper torso collapsed onto the bed, veins pulsing with everything. They remained frozen as they both tried to get their lungs to hold air and properly use it. His hand moved over her back, careful not to smudge anything and make it worse. His other hand trailed down a thigh, fingers enjoying the feel of her skin.

She carefully rested over her legs, feeling the mattress dip as he left moments later and let him clean her up. She was content to sleep like that all evening, even if the cold was starting to seep back in when her heartbeat slowed.

Her brain finally registered the songs they had totally forgotten, ears perking up to the lyrics.

 **It's** **gotta** **be** **true**

 **There's** **a** **place** **like** **you**

He grabbed the discarded top and draped it over her to put back on and put on the pants portion, looking to his laptop when he was done. He had wanted that time to be a little more romantic than it was heavy, had wanted to maybe speak of such things to her that the lyrics contained. He wanted to believe it was okay to say those things, still wanted to say those things right now.

She stared at him, watching the gears shift behind his eyes. He never looked her way and she finally stood, stopping in front of him to get his attention. "What are you thinking about?" She asked, resting against his chest, his arms lightly encircling her waist.

He looked to her, feelings raging behind his eyes. "I think that I still want to listen to just the song I picked out earlier."

Said track was currently playing. She tuned into it, throat closing up a little at the look in his eyes. She felt his hands delve under the top, but didn't touch her anywhere. He simply held her close, wanting to feel her skin. She trembled at the feelings assaulted her again, brow furrowing upward.

 **I** **wanna** **know** **every** **part** **of** **you**

 **And** **I** **want** **you** **to** **know** **me** **too**

He watched her teeth catch her lower lip and suddenly wanted to switch spots with those pearly whites. Tears pooled in her eyes, her chin wobbled as she tried to speak, but failed.

No! She didn't want to cry in front of him over this song! She had told herself that, but it wasn't working. She sniffled and harshly wiped tears away, mentally berating herself for crying. She didn't want to cry and make him feel bad!

He watched her expression change and a hand came up to run through her hair reassuringly. He leaned down and gave her forehead a soft kiss, arms pulling away. "Why don't you go sit down and I'll be there in a second..."

She nodded and sat back on his bed, idly fixing the covers while he switched to the track and put it on solo repeat. The bells started back up, the singer joining in seconds later. He stopped at the edge of the bed, staring down at her, the music providing the ambiance he had originally wanted.

Her fingers fiddled together slightly when he still didn't move. She looked up at him, uncertainty hitting her. A hand finally inched out, palm up, as she shuffled back to make more space for him. He remained there quietly for heartbeats more before slowly sitting on his legs in front of her. He kept staring at her, eyes serious, but soft...unnerving. Hands rested in his lap and her empty hand fell to her legs.

He hadn't said a word since he reset his playlist, the singer doing the job for him. Her eyes remained attached to his, ears given to the laptop. Her emotions overtook her, squeezed her chest, made it hard to breathe. The air left forgotten in her lungs until it demanded fresh and she gulped it. Tears moved her vision, only clearing when she finally blinked.

Those tracks got him to move. A hand slowly rose and cupped her cheek, thumb swiping the liquid off her face. He remained silent, not knowing what to say or how to say it...or if he even needed to say it. He wanted to, really wanted to. He wanted to profess everything to her, wanted to hope it would be okay. He trusted her, liked to think he knew her well enough to give her those words to hold close. To nurture whenever she could.

But nothing left his lips.

His touch didn't help her to calm down. Her chin trembled again, everything increasing as he slowly pulled her to his lap. Her arms latched onto his neck, feeling his go around her waist just as tightly. She mentally apologized, screamed at herself, pleaded with his patience, and dared think something of a similar level back at him. None of it left her lips.

 **We** **can** **take** **it** **slow**

 **If** **that's** **the** **way** **you** **wanna** **go**

He listened to her try to control herself, heart going out to her. He pressed her against him to comfort her, to try and take everything himself. One hand rubbed her back a few times before gently grasping an arm and pulling her back to face him. She thankfully went, wiping her tears with her eyes averted. He ducked his head to her field of vision to get her to look at him, though she didn't keep his eyes for long. They darted to him and away, like she was forcing herself to look at him, but unable.

A small smile appeared as his hands came up and cupped her face. His lips slowly descended, finally speaking to her with all the softness that he could give.

She choked a cry into his mouth, hands moving to harshly press him to her. He responded in kind and kissed her much more insistently, hands roaming up the back of his shirt, feeling her skin.

She couldn't speak anything with as much as her throat had closed up, but she hoped he would understand if she showed him. Just for now...perhaps she would take time later to think up the proper words to give to him. Perhaps then, she would be able to let him say something back to her without reacting like this. Something she had a feeling he very much wanted to say.

She pulled her mouth away to rub her nose along his chin. His head angled back to give her better access and she kissed his neck, feeling him twitch a little beneath her and harshly swallowed. The feelings she had been battling with for however many track repeats mingled with much sweeter emotions and were overtaken. A hand ran down his chest. "Adrien...touch me...h – how you wanted to earlier. To this song. Please."

How could he refuse a request like that? His eyes peeked open, not seeing anything. The flame for her kindled and started burning on low all over again at what she was insinuating. He pulled back, hands lightly gripping her shoulders. "Lay down." He nearly whispered, everything taking hold of his emotions and throwing them at her. His feelings escaped through his eyes, his lust pushing to be first in line. "I'll help you..."

He moved her off him onto her back on his bed. Her heart lurched with anticipation as his arms straddled her sides, his eyes roaming her body when she wished his hands would. Her fingers twitched to be useful, but she forced herself from reaching out. She had told him to touch her like he wanted...perhaps this was part of it?

He locked eyes with hers, finding her needing him already. He stopped just out of the range of her mouth, seeing how unsure she was at what he planned on doing. As if he even had plans. "You're so beautiful..." He whispered, shifting his weight to one arm. The free one rose and stroked the side of her face down to her collarbone, eyes following it.

His touch was light, gentle. She listened to his praises, heart flip-flopping as he ignited emotions while the song added kindling. She arched into his touch when his hand graced her face again, nuzzling his fingers.

"I could stare at you like this forever to this song and be perfectly content." He murmured, partially to himself. His lips tilted a little, eyes softening. He watched his fingers flitter across skin that peeked past the collar, finally going and undoing a button. His lips covered the space in the barest of kisses, following suit down every button she had put back together.

Her head had fogged over well before he was half done, trying to keep from touching him. She wanted him to do whatever he wanted to her, to take in what he had wanted to show her. It made her heart weep at his care, at the level she had yet to experience with him. They had always been so desperate for each other to the point of aggressive. She didn't mind it, but this sudden change was just as nice...no, nicer.

His lips brushed past every inch of skin, not staying in one spot long enough in order to worship the rest of her. He wanted to do as she asked, happy to do so. He had waited so long to speak of his feelings. It had been a long year of building everything and an even longer two months of being taken away from her for her work and his. He had this moment and he intended on making it something pleasant for her to keep with her, to think about whenever they were apart and busy.

He rested over her, arms on either side of her head. He captured her lips in a slow kiss, rocking over her just enough to bring things up a notch. She cried out into his mouth and it was a fight to stay true to his original intention. She breathed his name into his mouth and he returned hers to her. His fingers found some of her hair and stroked it idly, feeling okay to just kiss her like this for a while.

She was going to die in the best way possible. He ignited everything with that one touch and she felt him so clearly through the pants he still had on. She really wanted him to lose them, but she wanted him to keep doing this, too. She needed him already, wanted him to up the level somehow.

She pulled away, chest heaving. "Adrien...p – please... Please touch me again." A trembling hand found his face, thumb going over his lips. "I need you...so badly. I'm sorry...I just...I can't wait... Please. Touch me. Kiss me. Everything. Please."

He stared at the pleading in her eyes before nodding and slowly shifted off her. He stared at her, finding expectant eyes on him as he pulled the pants off. She licked her lips and he watched a hand move for him. He tossed the pants somewhere, eyes never leaving her.

His arms stopped near her head again and she stared at him slightly wide-eyed, eyes darting to the muscles that held him above her, that kept him from moving down to cover her. She was cold and the heat he produced was more than enough for the two of them.

Her hand moved to grasp him, but he clasped her wrist and kept her from doing so. "Not yet..." He breathed, letting her go. Her arm fell back at her side and he floated over her. His face inched down, torso following. "Just wait a little longer... Just a bit more..."

Teeth bit her lip, anticipation practically killing her as he neared at a snail's pace. She trembled against everything he was causing without actually doing anything. Her hands came up to her chest, gulping air when his mouth was close enough to touch. She was captured by the depth of dark green, unable to tear her eyes away from the look he was ravishing her with. That he caressed her with.

A knee slowly nudged one one of her thighs apart and she went willingly. His waist lowered, quickly exhaling when he touched her just barely. She arched into him, but he moved away until she rested on the bed. He touched her chest to his, arms somewhat wrapping around her head as he settled a little closer.

She squirmed under him, more than frustrated that he stopped just outside and made no move to enter her. "Please, Adrien!" She begged, arms going around his neck. "Please! I can't take it!"

His lips tilted, mouth going near her ear. "I love it when you say those words." He nudged her again. The words that he immediately wanted to say were stuck in the last thread of rational thought that he possessed. He mentally weighed them for a second before coming to agreeance. "I love everything about you."

He entered her as he said those words, but she hardly heard him. She cried out, thankful he didn't move in her. It was too much, but it was not enough.

One word pierced the veil and her eyes teared again. She clutched him to her, trying to take deep breaths. "S – say...that again..." She timidly begged, temple against his. "I...want you to tell me...Adrien..."

 **And** **I** **want** **you** **to** **know** **me** **too**

Tears came to his eyes at some form of acceptance. The amount of emotional weight could have crushed his chest alone.

He moved out just enough to shift back again, hearing her cry out. "I love the noises you make." He moved again. "I love how you feel around me." Another slow thrust. "I love how amazing you are."

She ate up his words as much as she did his movements. She whimpered, hips shifting to feel him as far as she could, legs widening to accommodate him. He threw praises her way with each slow arch of his hips before he found her lips. Her hands dove into his hair at how he seemed in no hurry. She didn't want him to be, but she needed him to be.

He described so many things that she was, that one word in every sentence. He moved in time with his words, her noises scraping his brain raw. He tortured the both of them after a heavy first round, trying to keep these moments much more precious than any of the others so far.

He had to be running out of things about her to talk about and she felt like he was edging around his original intent. She wanted to hear the exact phrase. Her heart demanded it; told her it would all be okay.

She slowly pushed his face back, staring at him as he had to her earlier. "Adrien," She panted, trying to keep her eyes open, "tell me. Please. I want you to whisper it in my ear. Please."

He paused, trying to catch his breath. He stared at her for what felt like forever, chest tightening at the strength in her eyes. He had feared it would be too much, that she might reject that one thing he desperately wanted to say, but she was proving him wrong. Her eyes told him outright that she wanted it, as she had wanted all those other things he loved about her.

He nodded, his mouth at her ear as she asked, moving in her again. "You...Marinette. I love you... Just you... All of you. Everything about you."

 **Baby you can use my love**

 **As long as you stay with me**

She wrapped her legs around him, arms clenching him to her. She didn't know what she'd feel when she finally heard that, but it took hold of her and clobbered her over the head. It was on the tip of her tongue to reply in kind, but she held back. A hand ran through his hair in reassurance, cheek rubbing against his.

"Please...finish this. Finish me, Adrien... I want you to. Say that again when you come. I want to hear it from you again."

He sped up immediately, hearing her cry out. His arms clutched at her for leverage, pushing harder, faster. His feelings raged at the thought of being able to roam free, at how she set them free. He never thought it would feel as glorious as it had, but he regretted nothing. He was happy he said something...glad she was okay with him saying it.

She clamped around him, nails digging into his shoulders as she choked his name and begged him to keep it up. She pleaded for him to go even faster, as if he weren't already going fast enough. He tried to do what she wished, wanting it as well. His lips found her ear, sucking on a lobe around an earring. He toyed with it as the end crept through his skin, taking hold of his blood.

The breath hitched in his throat and he quickly rested over her stomach, doubling over as he came.

"M – Marinette...I l – love you... I love you...so much." His hands clenched in her hair, fingers twitching. "I love you, Marinette. I love you. Everything. Everything about you. I love you."

She didn't think words could sound so sweet as the breathy ones he choked into her ear. The absolute, raw emotion in his voice, the total devotion could have shattered her heart into a million pieces.

As it was, it certainly doubled her faithfulness to him.

She let him catch his breath, fingers going through sweaty locks when he didn't move after a moment. He remained frozen like that long after their minds returned with the cold.

He still didn't shift over her, his breathing now slow.

She gently pushed him away and he went. His eyes were subdued and she put both hands on his cheeks to get him to look at her. He went and uncertainty ran rampant as he stared at her. Her fingers stroked the sweat at his temples, a soft smile appearing. "Thank you..." She breathed, eyes kind. "Thank you."

His throat closed, eyes tearing. His jaw clenched as he gave a choppy nod, shoulders relaxing as he kept her eyes. She didn't look away from him for a second, showing only acceptance and happiness at such heartfelt admissions.

His lips found hers, brushing over them. "I love you." He breathed, feeling comfortable saying it now. After so many times of telling her in his head, it was long overdue. He kissed her briefly before pulling away. The need to say those words again took hold of him and he couldn't stop. "I love you, Marinette..." His lips tilted.

She kissed him, eyes tearing as she did so. She let them fall, hand on the back of his head so he couldn't get away. "Yes." She pulled away, fingers stroking his cheek. "Thank you."

She didn't say anything back and a small thread hoped she would. She only repeated her gratitude and he figured he'd have to take that as something right now. The doors had been opened for a while, but he walked finally through after all this time.

Now he had to wait for her to join him.

He didn't know how long that would be, but he feared months would pass before he would get those three words. His heart clenched in anticipation at that day, wondering when it would be. He knew he would have to content himself with telling her for his own greediness, to hope for that look in her eyes with that smile.

He moved from her and wiped her clean again, buttoning up his shirt on her torso for her. He found the bottoms and put them back on. He left the song to play as he climbed into bed with her, pulling her to his chest.

He was warm, his comforter snug around them. Everything from the evening ran through her, but she rejected nothing. There was a sense of solidity there and she liked it, was glad for it. A small piece fit without her even knowing it would. She clasped his hand with a yawn, idly wondering what time it was before they both passed out.

 **As** **long** **as** **you** **stay** **with** **me**

 **Stay** **with** **me**

 _ATB_

 _Song_ _1:_ _youtube com/watch?v=9cBWki9jPD4,_ _Stay_ _with_ _me_

 _Song_ _2:_ _youtube com/watch?v=g3jO_WZKjTQ, Arms wide open_

 _Song_ _3:_ _youtube com/watch?v=qN35jdgdPDE,_ _A_ _place_ _like_ _you_


	53. Unnamable feelings

Everything hurt. Especially her legs. Part of her lower back wasn't much better. She only really became aware as consciousness poked at her with help from the sunlight coming through the curtains Adrien forgot to close.

Just when they finally had time to sleep in, he forgot!

She groaned and winced when she shifted. It was going to be hell today unless she took another steaming hot shower and something to deal with the soreness. If she wasn't already extensively comfy and warm enough as it was, she might have considered actually moving to do that.

As it was, there was nothing shy of a ten thousand Euro order that would get her away from his side right now.

" _I_ _love_ _you._ _Everything._ _Everything_ _about_ _you._ _I_ _love_ _you._ _"_

Her lips twitched, fingers flattening over his torso. He slept on and she stared at the light streaming into his room. An arm was around her hip, having fumbled past the fabric that tried to cover her and found the curve of her waist. She liked the feel and shifted slowly so that it remained there.

She propped her head up and stared at tousled hair, long lashes, barest traces of stubble, and that chiseled jaw of his. He was perfect in every way and even flaws were good on him. He looked gorgeous and she stared at him, letting his words and last night run through her head. Her heart fluttered, even as the rest of her burned.

A hand came out on its own accord, feeling lonely without his skin near, and ran across his jaw. Blue eyes followed her fingertips, lips in a soft smile. She watched him twitch and shift, but remain asleep. Her head dipped to his chest, lightly kissing his heart and feeling it slowly thud under her lips.

All she could say was "thanks" and it felt cheap, unworthy, but she wanted to respond with something. She didn't want to leave him hanging out there without anything safe to land on. She made a mental promise when she had moments away from him to really think about how she felt so she could articulate the right words and back them up with the proper feelings.

He deserved that at the very least.

She rested her chin on the hands over his chest, moving in time with his breathing. She almost wanted to say something back, but...what could she say? Her feelings only tripped over themselves and made themselves useless as she tried to pick one. She only became flustered when she tried to think and trapped in everything as she kept staring at him, as he slept on through her distress.

He was so special to her. He was kind, compassionate, funny, sexy, handsome, smart, talented, hard-working, and he treated her with the utmost respect. He was so similar to her in the most random of ways and their banter was fun. They poked fun at each other and made fun of each other half of the times they were together. Whenever she had time in class or was working on something for someone, she often thought of him and wished she could be near him.

She sometimes worried that she wouldn't be able to hold up to the pedestal he had hoisted her to, let alone find him as he stood at the bottom and all but worshiped her. She wanted to though, even if she didn't know how to.

A hand exited the confines of her chin to touch his face again, causing him to stir a little again.

"You're so precious..." She whispered, thumb caressing his lips. Her eyes teared as the strength of her emotions encompassed her. "You're so precious to me that I can't even begin to describe it. I'm sorry that I can't find the words right now to give to you like you need...like you deserve."

His eyes fluttered open at the soft touch that tickled his face. His brain immediately kicked into gear at hearing a sniffle and he looked down to find swimming blue staring at him.

A hand rubbed his face to help him wake up. "Marinette? What's wrong?"

She suddenly sat up and threw the covers back, straddling his waist and plopping down on his chest again. Her arms wrapped around his head, hugging him as best as she could. She tried to steady her breathing at the tide which had suffocated her. Her head buried in his chest, finding the hollow near his neck.

Despite it a nice way to wake up, he was concerned at her behavior and worried his words were actually too much now that their heads had cleared. His lips pressed together, arms slowly going around her back to pin her to him. She said nothing and it did nothing to help reassure him. The harsh thump of her heart matched his.

She warred with herself, knowing he'd be more than happy with anything she gave. This was no time to chicken out when he should have heard any of this last night.

Her eyes hardened as she forcefully pushed herself to sit up, his hands resting near her hips. Shaking, clenched hands rested over his chest and she found unsure, concerned green meeting her. "I..." Teeth bit her lip. "You are...so p – precious...to me..." She managed, heart knocking against her ribcage. Her eyes softened, hand coming up at finding tears springing from his eyes. "So precious..." She stroked his cheek, getting a heavy kiss when her palm passed close enough.

She leaned closer, her chest constricting almost painfully. Her free hand went to it, clutching the shirt tightly. "I...adore you...Adrien. Y – you...mean...so much to me... I...I can't..." Her breathing grew choppy brow furrowing up as everything shoved her around. "These...feelings... I can't...the words...they won't..."

Tears dripped onto his chest from her, his own soaking his pillow. He watched her come unglued in a new way, face raging with things he didn't think he would hear so quickly. She didn't say exactly what he said, but it was more than enough to soothe the ache he had felt since she started going out with him after their first fumble.

He quickly sat up and fiercely hugged her, burying his head in her shoulder.

She returned the embrace, arms shaking as badly as his were. She sniffled, hearing to him copy her, a hand diving into his hair. "I'm sorry...I wish...there was m – more..." Tears fell from her cheeks, but she let them. Gloomy blue looked to his pillow. "I'm sorry... Th – this is...all I can figure out right now..."

His head shook, quickly pulling away to find her lips. He kissed her as hard and as passionately with everything he felt, what she instigated.

She returned the kiss, arms clutching at his neck. His tears mingled with hers, her feelings introducing themselves to him. He took everything she gave and she was glad he wasn't mad that she couldn't tell him she loved him just yet. She was happy he seemed to understand and accepted just this for now.

His forehead rested against hers as he tried to catch his breath. He didn't think it was possible to feel this alive, to need to touch her in reverence as much as he needed right now. "I love you, Marinette." He blurted out, softly kissing her. She returned it, hands floating to his cheeks. He copied her and stared into watery blue.

He slowly kissed her nose, mouth, darting to each cheek, and speeding up as the need to just touch her overtook him. His skin needed hers wrapped around him to feel complete.

Her eyes closed when his lips landed on each one, finally resting over her forehead. Her hands drifted to his shoulders, feeling his arms tense as he squeezed her. She couldn't reply in kind and thus stroked his hair.

His mouth rested over a shoulder, breathing in her smell. It calmed him a little, the strength of her hold giving him something to focus on and pull him from himself. The day had barely started and there actually was something he wanted to do today, with her. This wasn't it, even if it was heavenly.

"I love you..." He breathed, the words dripping from him on their own.

Her hand slowly went from the top of his head to his neck. She felt every inch that he connected with, nothing sexual about it at all. She needed to sit this close to him, to feel him as much as she could. She would be lonely without it. "I...like...hearing you say that." Her cheeks tinged, looking away shyly when he moved to stare at her. Her lips tilted in her discomfort, kicking herself for not saying it back. A hand went to her chest, eyes clouding over with her emotions. "It...feels...here is...it's so strong and..."

He smiled at her attempt to describe it. He took the hand clutching his shirt and kissed her knuckles softly. "If you like it, then I'll tell you as many times as you like, Mademoiselle."

She smiled and nodded, giving him one final kiss before looking to his desk. The clock red just past eight and she tsked at it. "It's too early!"

He grinned and let her shift off him. "It's still an acceptable time to wake up." Green glinted with mischief. "You're better than any alarm clock, in my opinion."

She swatted at his chest, getting laughter and stood to get away from him. The half-naked, sexy hair thing he had going on right now was dangerous and she wanted to do more than just roll around in bed with him!

Kind of...mostly...

His eyes flew down when she stretched and he forgot that he had hidden her underwear. His mouth instantly went dry at seeing the barest peeks of that perfect ass from under his shirt and he was out of bed in a second.

She gasped as his hands found her breasts through his shirt, throwing her against his back harshly. His breath was hot in her ear, powerful muscles around her arms. Her legs trembled, already too hot.

"Of course...I can think of another way to wake up for the day..." He murmured, licking the top of a lobe. "Being so early and all that..."

Her head fell against him, everything shaking. Thinking fogged over as she panted, feeling him rock against her lightly from behind. Her mouth went dry and air escaped her. "Y – you..." She stumbled away, hands grasping his desk to steady herself. She sent him a glare over her shoulder, impossibly red in the face and hardly able to stand from his actions. A shaking finger pointed at him. "You...you... Food. I need food. And drink. And bathroom time."

His grin turned roguish as he practically stalked her the short distance. His arms propped himself up on the desk, trapping her within them. She shrank from him, but lust escaped her gaze, matching his. "That's what you get for not putting on the rest of my pajamas." He mused, ignoring her pout. His hands moved and clutched her behind, shoving her against him. One hand yanked a thigh up near his hip as he pushed against her, hearing her cry out. His lips found an ear, tongue flicking out. "Next time...you might want to consider covering up that perky little ass of yours. It's too enticing..."

She was about ready to let him throw her on his bed, damned be the rest of the day, when he stepped away and went right for the bathroom without another word. She gaped as the door clicked shut and stomped her foot in frustration, growling as she did so. "Ass!" She shouted in Mandarin, hearing laughter from the bathroom. Her teeth grit as she glared daggers at the wall, having half a mind to go in there and turn him around as much as he had her.

Her arms tightly crossed over her chest as she took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down now that he was away from her.

"One of these days, Monsieur, I'm going to get you back and good." She darkly vowed, scowling at his bed. Her head suddenly tilted. "Of course, if I'm this sexy in half your pjs, lingerie wouldn't do much good, now would it?"

There was no way to pay him back the amount of frustration that he always leveled on her when she could tempt him with his own clothes. That wasn't very sexy in her mind, but it did him in. Her lips scrunched up before an evil idea hit and horns practically sprouted from her head.

She needed to be fast and get this done now, before he was presentable and went with. She hurried for her pants from the club and threw them on, ignoring how they felt and snagged her shoes. She left his pajama top on and grabbed her shirt before hurrying to the door. "I'm going to go change!" She loudly called out, hurrying with the lock on the door. "I'll be outside in about twenty minutes for food!"

He didn't even have time to finish shaving the rest of his other cheek to exit the bathroom before the sound of a door slammed. He hurried out to find her gone...her underwear still sitting near his laptop.

A brow rose as he looked to the only exit, confusion mounting. She sounded rushed for some reason and he didn't know why, but he shrugged and headed to the sink to finish up so he could get something to wear and meet her downstairs before too much more time passed.

01010

"If I'd have known you were going to wear that, I would have requested to come with you so I could tear it back off you."

She giggled, knowingly smiling as she let his eyes mentally take off the outfit she had on. She smirked and sidled up to him, hands behind her back in order to puff out her chest. "Does that mean you like it, Monsieur?"

He growled and resisted the urge to drag her back up to his room. He glared at her, hands twitching to grab her waist and yank her to him. "You're doing this on purpose."

She smirked, eyes narrowing. "And how." A finger came up and traced up his neck, flicking his nose. "Just a little pay-back for turning me upside down this morning, Monsieur." Her grin turned evil. "Are you going to be okay to go get food?"

He was not okay the second he watched her walk up to him in...that! Long-sleeved, red, neckline so low it went into her ribcage. She had no bra on, but it was kind of impossible to wear it with the center of her cleavage showing itself to him. The only thing that kept her from falling out of that wanna-be shirt were the ties she had zig-zagged up to the top.

Though the strings were much too open for his comfort level.

The short shorts she had on made her legs that much longer, the boots hoisting her up enough to give his neck a rest. She had a jacket in her hand, purse over a shoulder. Her hair was wild around her shoulders, her makeup just enough to accent her eyes to make her lashes look thicker.

Judging by how she was acting, she knew exactly what she was doing when she picked out that top. She knew he wouldn't be able to stop staring at her, as would the rest of the male population, unless he could convince her to go upstairs and change. The last thing he wanted was half of Paris ogling his girlfriend.

He leaned close to her, mouth claiming hers in a searing kiss. She reacted in kind, hands squeezing the light jacket he had on. He looked nice as always and she didn't know who would have a harder time being in front of the other after a night like last night.

He still won out for the suffering though.

He would have to sit in front of her the entire time, eyes on the space of skin between her shirt, and be unable to touch her in public. She knew he wouldn't dare and she broke the kiss with a smile which wouldn't leave. She practically cackled against his mouth, hearing his growl. "How bout we get going then?" She suggested, taking a step away and swinging her hips as she started off for the nearby cafe.

He was stone as she moved with more sway than he knew was necessary and it was probably all part to destroy him.

Not that she needed to do much...

He sucked in a deep breath to calm down lest he make a huge fool of himself and hurried to catch up. An arm snaked around her waist and trapped him at his side before they could reach the edge of the street. "Torture me all you want, Marinette." He lightly bit her ear, getting a gasp. "I'll return the favor tonight. With interest."

She shivered, heat already building between her legs, but mentally steeled herself. She wasn't going to lose to him!

She pushed off his chest, a finger swiping across it. She gave a sweet smile, eyes playful. "I look forward to it, Monsieur." She took a step back for the edge of the sidewalk. "We'll see who can best whom today, huh?"

His jaw clenched as she bowed just enough to draw his eyes to her breasts. His tongue darted out over his lips and he had no doubt he might have to cut this day short in order to deal with her!

She turned without a care in the world, fingers beckoning him over her shoulder. "Now...about that food..."

She was erotic without really needing to be, but to see her outright tempting him to pull her into the nearest corner was like an high he immediately needed more of for as long as possible. He watched her walk away from him, wondering who would end up killing the other first. His lips curled, mind suddenly full of all of the ways he could mess her up as badly as she had just done to him. He shoved all the ideas to the back burner, legs propelling him to catch up to her side.

His siren was calling after all.

 _Marinette's_ _outfit_ _inspiration:_ _amazon com/Blooming-Jelly-Womens-Bandage-Sleeve/dp/B0175YMPZQ?th=1_


	54. Trips about town

Breakfast was delicious torture and so difficult to get through. He refused to put his hands on her inappropriately in public, so he let his eyes do the work for him. She didn't seem to mind and actually egged him on a few times when she crossed her arms under her breasts and put them on the table so her cleavage popped out even more.

If he was any lesser gentleman, he would have escaped into the bathroom for a few minutes alone.

He made it a point to speak to her in Mandarin the second they hit the table for the sanity of those around them more than their own privacy. The amount of verbal sex he threw her way was enough to have her red in the face, but only her. He had enough dirty vocabulary from his times in China to keep her squirming in her chair, watching her try to hold composure in public as he told her exactly what he planned on doing to her when they were alone next.

She had a feeling that she was going to start using Mandarin with him in public as often as possible. The fact that they were spinning their own little world and no one else could enter, so she hoped, was the best part about shamelessly discussing sexual acts to each other in the middle of a cafe. She didn't think she would, or probably should, like being this horrible out in public, but it was oh so fun.

It was sad to exit the place, the fog left inside as she walked past the door he held open for her. She cleared her throat, using the outside chill on her legs to clear her head. "Where to next?" She asked, looking to him.

He took her hand and pulled her in the direction of the bus stop, the other going for the phone in his jacket. "I actually want to go buy something." He smiled her way, finding a curious brow raised. "Last night? I told Alya that I wanted to hit up Nino's shop for some more of his music." His lips twitched as he lowered his face to hers. "Or perhaps you were too drunk to remember."

She swatted an arm and scowled. "I remember just fine!" She protested, glaring. "I didn't think you were going to do so now was all."

He shrugged and pulled them to a stop with a small group of people. "We have the time off and we should go say 'hello' while we're at it." He looked her way as she idly stared at traffic. "If you want, I'll buy you something when we're there."

She looked his way with a smile, fingers squeezing his. "I'll consider it." Blue went back to watch for the bus. "But, I have quite an extensive collection that I hardly listen to as it is."

He gave a thoughtful hum, wondering what her style of music was and planned on keeping tabs of wherever she roamed in Nino's shop after they got there. After having gone to so many countries, in so many continents, his tastes had expanded so much and become slightly eccentric to most. He was just happy that she liked what he had played so far.

Course...all of it was Nino's stuff...

The ride was mostly quiet, but pleasant. He stubbornly kept her fingers attached to his since he took them, but she didn't complain too much. Her head rested on his shoulder and his over hers. He didn't want that bus ride to end, as short as it was. He could sit next to her and feel her soft hair with his cheek for the rest of the day if he felt like paying the driver that long.

Tempting.

They got off and headed the last few blocks for the music shop, finding the door wide open and music coming from it. She looked to the name above the door, smirking. "He's crafty, I'll give him that."

He looked to her in confusion. "What? What..."

She rolled her eyes and went for the open archway, blue dancing around for the piano they heard. "He plays his talents to get customers in the door." She smiled when she found the back of a red cap staring at her. "He also showcases his own work to help sell his cds. Been doing that for years. It's a similar business tactic that I use. Alya helped us work out the details in Sorbonne."

The song was beautiful, romantic, sad. It was slow and he watched his friend caress the keys as if they were gold. He felt into the trance that Nino gave off, watching his eyes focus on the keys as if no one else existed. Marinette's grip went forgotten as he stood in front of his friend and witnessed the raw talent he possessed. All of the cds he could buy weren't enough to properly display these seconds.

She looked to Adrien when his hand slackened in her grip and smiled at how entranced he was. She could tell he was even more of a fan of their friend than he already was, but she was as well. She had known of Nino's talents for years. He was as gifted as she was, only in different areas. He could spin beats together and create songs as easily as she could sketch design ideas for clothes. They were two peas in different pods and that's why she thought of him so highly, considered him so close. As he had said, they were in the same boat in life with their careers merely different.

She waited until the final keys were struck before speaking so Adrien could enjoy the whole piece. "Excuse me, Monsieur." She sing-songed. "I'd like to buy some music from you."

"You've come to the right pla – Marinette?" Nino's eyes shifted between the two of them, widening as he did so. "Adrien, too?" He jolted from the bench, happily surprised. "What brings you two here?"

He shook himself from the daze and smiled. "Alya must not have told you that I wanted to stop by today."

"She did, but I didn't think you were serious." Nino's eyes darted her way with a smile before returning to his. "I thought you'd be busy with...stuff."

She elbowed Nino, getting laughter from him as she wandered off to browse.

"I still don't know whether to be upset at you or thankful." He muttered, eyes slightly narrowed.

Nino smirked, hands defensively coming up between them. "After what I saw out there last night, I'd say you can choose thankful." His smile widened, an arm going around his shoulders. "I hope it helped at least."

He had the decency to flush a little, lips pursing as he refused to answer. "I came to buy cds." He redirected. "Especially containing songs that I heard last night." He threw Nino's arm off and took a step back.

Nino nodded with a hum, turning to the rack housing his small collection. "If I remember rightly, I gave you these, so we can keep these out so I can ignore them." Dark eyes narrowed as Nino thought to the cd he made for Marinette and all of the discs the songs were on. "The playlist I made for her is kind of spread out. How many of these do you want to buy?"

He grinned, arms nonchalantly crossing at the topic of money. "How many more do you have?"

Nino's brow went up for a moment before his head shook. "Sorry...forgot I was talking to an Agreste." He cracked, pulling out three more discs. He handed them over and playfully bowed. "Thank you for your benevolent service as always, Monsieur."

He snorted and shook his head, yanking Nino's ball cap over his face at the joke. He idly scanned the price, finding it acceptable even if he already had the money available. He looked over as Nino passed him for the piano. "You should charge more for your work. People would still pay for it if they get a taste of it."

Nino shrugged and sat on the bench, fingers idly finding a random tune he had memorized. "I can make it expensive and find only the rich who will pay, or I can make it available to all and get my name out that much faster to a broader audience. At this point, it pays my bills and it's getting better. I hope within the next year or two to be able to host a show with all of my own music. Maybe even do what I'm originally intending."

He hummed and leaned against the wood, watching his friend play a Satie piece that he was well-acquainted with. It was easy and fairly low level for the lack of multiple keys and slowness. It was still an elegant score and his fingers twitched as they followed along with Nino's on the black and white.

He leaned both arms on the instrument, putting the cds to one side. "Mind if I play something?" He asked, head tilted.

Nino's eyes shot away from the keys, brows going up. "You do piano, dude?"

"You do?"

He looked over to find Marinette staring at him a short distance away in the rock section. He was slightly taken aback that she was into the genre, mentally noting to ask her the bands she listened to.

He nodded to their questions, looking over when Nino stood. "It's been a while and I try not to practice where possible." He smirked, eying his friend. "Too many schedules of lessons when they weren't warranted. You understand..."

Nino snorted, copying Adrien's position at the piano while his friend got comfortable on the bench. "No harm, no foul." He shrugged, dark eyes following his friend as she insistently plopped down on the corner of the bench.

She didn't know why she occupied Adrien at the piano. It wasn't like she was planning on playing anything! She had no musical capabilities and didn't care if she didn't. But, her interest had been peaked at finding out something new about him and she wanted to be as close as possible to experience it.

He smiled at her as she watched his fingers play a few scales to warm up. "Mind you, it's been a while. I haven't played since probably high school. I might suck at this so don't get your hopes up."

"Like riding a bike." Nino supplied, waving off his friend's hesitation.

He kept plucking random keys, trying to remember just how the song went. His lips pursed, finding blue eyes glued to his fingers when he looked to the low end of the scales. He nudged her with his shoulder to get her attention. "Any requests?" She shook her head at him and he smiled. "There's one song that I used to play a lot. It's from an old tv show I used to watch before high school. Something about middle school superheros and superpowers." He shrugged, some of the chords coming back to him and assembling themselves. His brow furrowed as he plucked some of the keys. "It's fairly complicated, but it's short. I think it's when I started actually liking this thing and put more effort into my lessons."

She watched his fingers move before he finally paused. She eyed him, finding him deep in concentration before he nodded and his fingers took position. He started slow, hitting the keys with no mistakes.

He was right in that it looked complicated. His hands jumped from left to right, every digit being used for either a black or white note. She watched his hands move, every feeling from this morning engulfing her in a sudden inferno that had her eyes captured to his hands. Her throat tightened, eyes watering at how beautiful and intricate it was...just like him.

She had probably read that he did this somewhere in a magazine interview somewhere over the years of scanning Gabriel articles, but she couldn't recall just when. If she had known this, it slipped her mind until now...though she was even more astonished at watching him play and how delicately he handled the keys. Her mind went back to last night's final round, when he was tender and emotional with her. How honest he was and heartfelt.

Tears dripped down her cheeks before she realized she was even crying and she startled when they dripped onto her hands.

He paused at the sudden inhale at his side, the song forgotten for her distress before he could finish playing it. "Marinette, are you okay?"

She quickly nodded, wiping her face dry and rapidly spouting apologies as she ignored the duo hovering around her. "I'm sorry...I don't know why...I'm crying..." She sniffled, using her sleeve to dry her chin. "It was...beautiful...I guess..."

Nino snorted, a hand lightly patting her back. "I'll agree to that, dude." The two met eyes, Nino suddenly perking up. If stars could have burst from his eyes, they would have. He looked like a little kid all of a sudden and it took Adrien aback a tad. "Collab with me, Adrien!"

He smiled, chuckling even as a hand rubbed her back. She quickly pulled herself together, eventually brushing him off and asking him to play the song again so they could hear the ending. He insisted that he wasn't going to play something if it was only going to make her cry, but she refused to let him get up until he finished playing it.

The second time around was much more confident than the other. He played it a little faster after having ran through the keys almost the whole way through and slowed down as the song tapered off. His fingers jumped around, adrenaline going through him at the thought of his playing affecting Marinette so much. He wondered if she liked it, or just liked piano in general, and if he could play something for her later on.

She couldn't help but be drawn to those hands and really wanted to be the keys he was pushing on. Her tongue darted out as she mentally pictured his hands doing to her as he was doing to the piano, playing down her body with care and strength.

Before she could control herself, her head angled onto his shoulder, still watching his fingers.

He looked to her for a second before giving the piano more of his attention. He finished the last note and held it, letting his hands rest on the notes before looking to her, brow going up. She didn't look his way, her arms mindlessly snaking around one of his now that he was done using it.

Nino watched the exchange, trying to quell the smile at his friend's behavior. He could tell that Marinette was very into Adrien and he was glad. He didn't know if the club helped or what had transpired between the two one mere night after they parted, but it apparently did wonders for them. He hadn't seen her so clingy since Nathaniel in the beginning when he knew she really liked him.

He sat back and patted a hand, smile on his face. "If you like my playing that much, I'm sure we can make use of that rusty old piano at my father's house sometime. I'm sure it's probably grossly out of tune though."

She idly nodded, pulling her hand away as she took note of her behavior and where she was at. She stood from the bench with him, watching Nino take their spot and start plucking random keys. She quickly recognized Adrien's song coming from him, not too surprised that he picked up on his friend's playing. Nino's talent was similar to hers; she could figure out a pattern and basic design by just studying it a bit. The two of them had so much experience in their fields that Nino learned by Adrien playing for him just twice.

She left the gorgeous song to the professional and wandered back through the racks, to the section she was torn from before she finished browsing.

"Find anything good?"

She looked over to find green staring over her shoulder. She pushed a stack aside and looked to them. "Just pondering if I want to take you up on your offer or not."

"Just do it." He mumbled, arms sliding around her waist. His chin rested on her shoulder as he held her against him while she looked.

A smile made its way to her at his actions. Her heart fluttered again and she almost forgot what she was doing as she concentrated on his embrace. She briefly rested her head against his, lightly knocking against his temple with hers as her fingers slowed in their search.

His eyes roamed the names she was rifling through. Most of them were English titles. In fact, he noted that she was in the international section and his brows rose. "I didn't know you knew English."

She smirked. "I know enough to sing along. I took it in high school, but I don't remember much more than this." She picked out a random cd, flashing the cover his way.

He read the cd case off. "Nice band. I like their work."

She gave him a sideways look, brows in her bangs. "You like rock, too?"

He grinned and gave her a light squeeze. "I have a highly large stash of cds in my old bedroom and probably half my hard-drive is full of songs." He snorted. "I think that's all I ever use that laptop for anymore."

She looked back to her fingers as they kept roaming past plastic. "I'll have to check it out. See if there's something I haven't found yet. Maybe...maybe we have some of the same bands."

"Odds point to yes." He watched her pick out an old cd from the list, almost five years old and a brow went up when she kept staring at it. "That one?"

Her lips pressed together in thought. "I have most of their work at home. Haven't bought any of the older stuff like I wanted because I've been too busy to focus on listening to music while I work."

"Well, time to get it then." His fingers patted her stomach before he stood. "I'll grab my Nino cds and then we can go get something sweet. I feel like dessert all of a sudden."

 _Nino's_ _piano_ _piece_ _1:_ _youtube com/watch?v=TX3QEa1asfM,_ _Trilogie_ _pt_ _2_

 _Nino's_ _piano_ _piece_ _2:_ _youtube com/watch?v=S-Xm7s9eGxU,_ _gymnopedie_

 _Adrien's_ _song:_ _youtube com/watch?v=4caQlQxY8vA,_ _ladybug_ _umbrella_ _scene_


	55. Chocolate chip cookies

They were ambling down the street away from Nino's shop, just looking at any dessert place that seemed interesting to visit. She didn't know what he wanted and he admitted he didn't either. Thus, the current journey they were on to satisfy his sudden sweet tooth.

They had wandered probably five blocks without any luck and she suggested they have actual food instead if he was hungry, but he denied the idea. He named off a few things that kind of sounded good, but didn't know where one could find any of them around here.

Thankfully, she did.

It was a quick decision. Her purse was full of all the cds she felt okay with buying and she wanted to pay him back for his generosity. It would be probably eight more blocks to go, but she didn't want to take a bus. It would be fun to lead him, keep him in suspense, and then see if he remembered the place five months later.

"It's just nearby." She coaxed, tugging his hand.

"You said that three blocks ago." He slightly grumbled, somewhat pouting at her. She shook her head at him and kept pulling him. "I'll die of starvation before we get there."

"We can cut through the park." She didn't wait for his answer as she started doing so, nostalgia hitting as she passed the carousel and fountain. "It's just past here. We just need to get through everyone."

That was easier said than done. It was probably midday right now and the day was beautiful. Everyone was out, especially here, enjoying the weather. They kept winding around blankets and vendors, and he almost thought he was going to lose her hand in the process.

"I think half the city decided to show up to this spot." He cracked, nose suddenly catching a whiff of something amazing. "Oh wow." He suddenly stopped and yanked her arm as he did so. "Man...what is that smell?"

She smiled. They must have left the doors wide open to get some of the fresh air inside...and to help entice customers in the door. The smell had a tendency to travel that way on light breezes like today had. A giggle left her as she got him to walk, announcing that she knew where the aroma was coming from and stopped at the corner for the walk light to change.

He eyed the bakery across the street, mindlessly walking to it as something seemed...off. Strange. He couldn't put his finger on the thought in his head and he eyed the awning above the door as they went for the open archway.

It wasn't until he spotted her mother at the register that recognition hit him full on.

"AH!" He pointed to Sabine, quickly blushing when he startled her and probably half the other occupants in the store. He looked into amused blue, face hot. "I thought this place was top secret." He jabbed, tugging her to him. "Something about me starting trouble with my face or something like that..."

She flushed a little in his embrace, feeling everyone's eyes as they stood in the center of the small place. "Yea well...this is the best pastry shop in Paris and it's time you got to be part of the following."

He smirked, not wanting to let her get away with how hard she had tried to keep him from her parent's shop in the first place. "Is that right? Well...we do have a chef at home and I've eaten in expensive restaurants all over the world...this place had better be something then."

She gave him a dry look before turning to greet her mother. She let Adrien roam the goodies as she briefly chatted with Sabine.

"Are you going to formally introduce him?" Sabine quietly asked, lips tilting.

She spied a look at him eying half of the cakes like he wanted to buy them all, and probably would if she let him. Her lips pressed together at his boyish behavior, wondering how bad his sweet tooth was. She quietly cleared her throat and waited for one of the customers to finish paying before giving her mother her attention again. "I doubt now is the time to properly do so. I assume papa is in the back baking right now?"

Sabine nodded and greeted another client, immediately going to tally everything. "I suppose we'll have to get together sometime soon, yes?"

The last time Adrien had stepped foot in her parent's home was Noel and he set the bar with two bottles of Dom Perignon. She didn't know what would happen the second time around, but it was bound to be interesting.

"I'll see what we have time for in the next week." She hedged, taking a step away from the counter. "I'm going to go say hello to papa."

Right after she picked up a little fly before he started nibbling on the croissants in the corner, that was.

"Come on, you. We're going in the back."

She latched onto a piece of jacket and tugged, getting a small whine for taking him from the smell he was enjoying. He pouted and looked to the croissants, tarts, and quiches as they got farther away from him. They all looked absolutely amazing and he wanted to buy one of everything to sample immediately. He found his footing, bashfully waving to her mother as they passed, and tugged from her hold as they walked to a different room, the heat noticeably increasing.

"Papa!" She happily exclaimed, leaving Adrien to run to the flour-dusted apron her father had on.

The arms of her father swallowed Marinette and Adrien cringed a little at the size of the man who could definitely put him in his place in the most painful way possible. The last time he ever remembered meeting the man was too short to make a good impression, let alone get one back. He stood off to the side, somewhat hoping he wouldn't be recognized as the pair exchanged pleasantries and caught up.

He started sweating when hazel eyes locked with his. A hand rose with a smile, or maybe it was a cringe, glad he was nowhere near Marinette with a parent who looked like he could push cars out of the way.

The thick mustache twitched a few times and he wondered if her father was smelling him out in means of getting ready to pounce. He shuffled back a step when Marinette's arm waved his direction.

"This is Adrien, papa. He was at the Noel party last year."

He didn't have time to react as a man his height, and probably double his body width, stopped in front. Hands went to the apron for a second...and then one stuck out in his direction, the mustache formed with his smile.

"I'm Tom Dupain."

He blinked and dumbly took the hand, his fingers getting lost. He shook hands with the large man, slightly offset that he wasn't going to die for all the things he'd done to Marinette.

"Sorry I didn't get to stay and chat on Noel. That whole get-together is for Marinette and her friends. We understand." Tom pulled his hand back, looking to his clothing. "Sorry I'm so dusty. Mixed a bowl of flour a little too briskly earlier."

"Mind if I use some of it, papa?"

The two turned to find her poking her nose in all the ingredients that were on the huge counter. Tom's brow went up as he walked back to the counter. "What are you thinking?" He asked, leaning over it as he watched his daughter.

"Something fast." Her lips tilted. "My specialty that we can take with. Maybe if I make a big enough batch, you can put it out front."

Tom nodded with a smile, hands going for the ties at his back. "Well then, I'll just let this bread to rise for an hour and help your mother out front." The top apron tie went over her neck. "Just remember, we'll need at least two dozen. Three would be better."

She nodded his way as Tom grabbed the bread dough and put one of the towels over it. "I may do four and we'll take one with us. Sound good?"

"Perfect. That'll be a big help for me." Tom wiped his pants a bit, dusted his hands, and patted Adrien on the shoulder on the way out.

The whole experience was odd for parents he hardly dealt with half the time, let alone on a regular basis. Only when Tom had gone and she was busy getting bowls together did he head farther into the room. "Your family is oddly normal." He commented, hip against the counter.

She gave him a strange look before remembering his status and the article the press ate up when his mother left. Subdued blue looked to the bag of chocolate chips with a nod. "Papa is the nicest man you'll ever meet." Her eyes glinted in amusement as she looked at him again. "So don't think he'll kill you for the way you've been rough with me."

He looked to the exit Tom took as if the man could hear them. "How about you not say that so loud?" He groused in Mandarin.

She smirked. "That language won't do you any good here." She responded in Mandarin. "Mama taught papa and myself. Papa may not speak it very well, but he understands it perfectly."

The last bastion of safety that they had in public had been taken away and he wondered if there was anything else he could do to make a fool out of himself in her family's business just minutes after stepping foot inside.

His attention switched to the items she was compiling on the expanse of counter, mumbling to herself about baking soda and cups and flour ratios. He was quiet for most of it until she paused and stared at the mess in front of her. His arms crossed, curiosity killing him. "What are you doing? I thought we were getting me desserts."

She grinned his way and opened the bag of flour. "We are." She proceeded to dump it, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a huge bowl, the ingredients almost filling it to the top.

He watched the whole thing, heart fluttering as he stared. Did she seriously plan on making him...whatever it was she was working on right now? He looked away, already wanting to eat whatever it was she was planning and knowing he was going to be much greedier about this in the future.

"Go to the fridge in the corner and get me a carton of eggs, please." She idly ordered, eyes on her work.

He jumped and hopped to. He passed the entire carton and his brows went up as she started cracking in a second bowl, looking in no mood to stop. "Are you making quiche?"

A ladle pointed in his face, blue eyes narrowing. "Quiet from the peanut gallery." She looked back and nodded, going for a fork to whip everything together. "I need a lot of eggs is all. Are your ears all for show?"

His arms went on either side of her as she worked, chin on her shoulder like earlier. "You're sure sassy for someone who can get a very...'pretty' shirt highly dirty."

Wide eyes looked to him, finding an evil look on his face. "Don't go wasting flour!" She chided, a sense of paranoia going up her spine. She shoved an arm away and passed him the bowl. "Make yourself useful and finish mixing this while I add to it."

He grinned and took the fork, arms going slow. "You're a spoilsport." His brows waggled at her. "I so wanted to decorate that plain, red shirt for you."

She gave him a dry look. "I'm sure you would." Her eyes fell to what they were doing, mind working at what needed to happen next. She added vanilla and butter as he stirred, mind finally recognizing how they were working together. A smile graced her face and squashing it was impossible.

He noticed, too. "What are you thinking?"

She grabbed the larger bowl and a spatula. "That you're going to hold it while I pour." She quickly side-stepped, face heating a little.

He eyed her as he did what she told him, watching her hide a giggle, but not that sweet smile of hers. Only when the bowl was empty and she was mixing the whole thing together did he have a chance to get his hands free.

His arms went around her waist again, pulling her snug against his front. "Someone is a little too happy to be cooking. Are you thinking about how long it's been since you've done this?"

Her hands paused, face warming further. She ducked away from the face sneaking a peak at her over her shoulder, a full-on grin overtaking her.

"Hmmm?"

"I..." Her lips pressed together. "It's...n – nice...cooking with you..."

He smiled back, glad she was enjoying this so much. "We'll have to utilize the kitchens at the dorms and make something else later then." He suggested, giving her a final squeeze before letting go so she could work. "You can teach me a few tricks, I'm sure."

She could only nod, forcefully keeping her eyes on her work lest she turn right around and demand he hold her again. His presence was still very near as he watched and she could almost feel the heat he created with her back. She kind of wanted him to keep his arms around her as she stirred, but another part of her wished he would do the hard work since the amount of dough in the bowl was a lot.

She poured in chocolate chips, getting a pout from behind. "Can you do more?" He asked, puppy dog eyes going over her shoulder. "I'll pay for them if I have to."

She smirked and poured in another good helping. She stirred everything together and looked to happy green. "Is that enough, Monsieur?" She cracked, brow going up.

"Can I have some from the bag?" He grinned, pressing his luck.

She rolled her eyes and lightly elbowed him away from her. "If I'm not careful, you're going to eat all the dough before I can get it in the oven." She playfully groused, wagging her finger in his face.

His eyes widened a little. "Hadn't thought of that yet. Thanks for the idea."

She poked his nose and shoved him away a little from the counter. "Don't you dare!" She suddenly turned coy when a thought struck and walked her fingertips up his chest. "Maybe if you're a good boy, you can eat off the spatula with whatever is left..."

He grinned and stuck his hands in his pockets, stepping back to let her finish everything. "Won't hear another peep out of me!"

She gave him a disbelieving look before daring to step away from the huge bowl and went for a bunch of cookie sheets. She greased them all and turned the empty oven on to heat while she went to ladle batter onto everything.

He watched her work, seeing the diligence and rapt attention she was maneuvering that she always used in her clothing line with the spoons. He sat on the edge of the counter to get a good view, eyes free to admire her as she got caught up in her work, never looking his way until she had filled four trays.

She stared at the mass amount of cookies, teeth biting her lip in uncertainty. "Maybe I overdid it..."

"I'll take one dozen, you take the other. The rest we can keep for leftovers."

She swatted at a shoulder, but missed. "I'm not making you four dozen cookies! I'm making you one and giving the rest to the front to be sold." She quickly took one of the trays to stick in the oven, since it had dinged moments ago. "After all...you're not paying for yours anyway."

His brows went up as he watched her pointedly ignore his gaze. He let her get the oven door closed with everything before he tugged at the apron ties at her waist slowly. "You know..." He drawled, one coming undone. "I could probably buy this entire bakery if I wanted..."

She gulped, fire racing up her veins. She shivered when the other string came undone and he pulled the apron off over her head. She heard it plop somewhere on the counter, eyes fixed on the wall across from them...at least until his arms moved her to face him.

His fingers went under a chin, getting her lovely eyes his way. His smile was soft, touched by the gesture she was suddenly doing for him. "I think I could handle paying for four dozen of your fabulous cookies though if I really wanted to. I don't spend my money on much of anything else after all."

Her face heated like the sun, chest squeezing her at the feelings he created with that look in his eyes. "I – I – I'm...n – not s – saying...you can't..." She stammered, trembling fingers clutching at his jacket. "I j – just thought...thought th – that...I'd g – give you...something back...like what y – you gave m – me. I just m – made extra...for papa...because I'm using th – their kitchen and s – supplies..."

His lips softly met hers at her thoughtfulness. She mimicked his touch until he pulled away, hand delving into her hair. "I love you." He blurted out, watching her eyes tear through a smile. "I'm going to add this to the huge list of things that I love about you."

She harshly swallowed, blinking as he wiped away a tear that tried to escape. She hugged him before she could think, staying that way in comfortable silence until the smell of cookies came to her. She regrettably pulled away from the hand rubbing her back and turned the oven light on, finding everything perfect.

She grabbed oven mitts and had him put wire racks down, setting hot pans on them seconds later. She stared at everything, nodding in satisfaction when they were just brown on the edges to claim them done, but just a tad soft when they finished cooling. "Perfect." She announced, mostly to herself.

"Does this mean I can clean up the bowls?"

Hands went to her hips as she spied him a look, finding his gaze on dirty dishes at the other side of the counter. She looked to the ceiling, shaking her head. "Knock yourself out..."

"Yes!" He drawled, hurrying around what he'd soon be enjoying after they cooled for his immediate prize. He grabbed one of the spoons and promptly stuck it in his mouth.

She watched the whole thing, lips twitching at watching his eyes close in bliss. She moved to a cooler spot on the counter and leaned her arms on it, watching him chew on a few leftover chips. "You're easy to please, Adrien."

He met her gaze, slowly pulling the spoon out of his mouth, scraping it over his tongue. He smirked when her smile lowered a little, blue darkening a tad. "Perhaps I'll just have to find a way to pay you back for your heartfelt generosity." He slowly stalked around the counter, spoon going back in his mouth. He repeated his action in front of her, noting how her eyes were stuck on his mouth. "I'm sure there must be...something I can do to show how 'thankful' I am..." He pondered, lips curling.

The sound of a throat loudly clearing had him jumping away from her faster than he had ever moved, face aflame.

The spoon clacked out of his hands somewhere on the floor as they both found Tom and Sabine in the doorway, smiles on their faces. Sabine moved first, picking up the spoon and tossing it into the wet bowl before going for a towel...all without a word.

"I figured it was about time to get some of those cookies out front." Tom mused, arms crossing over his chest.

She went red in the face, looking from the amusement on her parents' faces to the cookies to Adrien to them. She stammered, sweating as she wondered how much they had heard. Not that she was ten years old anymore, but this was their residence.

"I – I – I...cookies!" He stammered, hand nervously scratching the back of his head. He wondered if he looked as stupid as he felt. "They're d – done! Yea! Let me help you!"

She grabbed his arm when he tried to be helpful and mess everything up. "You just work on the other spoon, Monsieur." She mumbled, grabbing it as her father passed it over. She let him take it, though it rested in his hand totally forgotten. "Let the experts do their jobs." She patted his cheek with a grin, taking a subtle, deep breath once she was away from him.

He stood off to the side, watching as the Dupain-Cheng family worked in unison, getting cookies on decorative plates to go out front, the rest being packaged up and put away for use later that afternoon. He dumbly took a box that he assumed was his, their family label on the front.

He stuck the spoon in his mouth lest he make an even bigger ass out of himself in front of her family. He had only, barely, met them once and didn't want to seem like a total pervert before he could at least converse with them first and make sure their opinion of him was better than what he was giving right now!

She patted his head, taking the spoon once he cleaned most of it up. She added it to the wet bowl before grabbing everything else and putting them all in the sink. She rolled up her sleeves and grabbed a rag.

He jumped and promptly set the box on the counter before hurrying to her. "I can at least do the dishes!" He insisted, grabbing part of the soapy rag.

She gave him a weird look. "What part of 'your sake' don't you get?" She tugged back, but he wasn't going to let go. She flushed a little, finding her parents watching them and thoroughly enjoying the scene. Her jaw clenched. "Let go. This is all that I need to do and then we can head out."

"No. If you're not going to let me pay for any of them, at least let me do this."

She sighed at his behavior. He was sweet, but that wasn't the point! She stared at her mother, silently begging for aide, but her mother only chuckled and held out a towel.

"Perhaps he can dry?" Sabine suggested, eyes twinkling.

Her mouth opened and closed with a sigh. "Fine." She looked his way, eyes gentle. A hand went up and flicked his nose, leaving a small pile of soap bubbles. "I'll wash; you dry. Deal?"

He grabbed the towel with a smile and nodded.

Sabine walked back to Tom, taking one of the plates for the front and stared at her husband. "We're in the way here." She murmured, gesturing for him to head out front.

Tom gave one last look at the pair, briefly watching Marinette flicking water Adrien's way with a grin, before heading to the front. The place was still empty, the only reason they snuck into the back to check on the food. "I'd say she did good this time around."

Sabine nodded, setting the plate next to the register as she pulled a lid off a now empty tray from this morning. She let Tom put the fresh batch in its new home before replacing the glass lid. "It's good to see her happy." She responded, smile gone. "I know she loved Nathaniel, but it was time for her to move on." She looked to Tom, lips tilting. "I haven't heard anything about what happened, but that's for her to tell us if she's ever ready to do so. I'm just relieved she found a nice boy as her next choice."

Tom patted Sabine's back, smiling as well. "We'll have to make sure she brings him to dinner some night soon." He nodded, an annoyed cry suddenly coming from the back, with a few words of retribution managing to float to the front. "Do I dare check on them?"

Sabine smirked. "With a shirt like she had on? I'd say it's in our best interest to keep an eye on the front doors for customers instead."

Tom groaned, a hand going through his mustache. "I hate it when she wears that. It makes me realize how grown up she is."

Sabine laughed, sympathetically patting his arm, hugging him when it went around her shoulders.


	56. Eating with the fam

When Marinette told him that her parents wanted to invite them over to dinner and meet him properly, he didn't think they'd be doing so the next night!

"Isn't it a little early?" He insisted, uncertainty trailing up his spine. "I just saw them yesterday after all."

She rolled her eyes and continued going through his closet for him when he groused at not having anything good to wear to meet them. She held out a suit and wrinkled her nose, ignoring him as he continued to rant in his nervousness.

"Hmm...maybe something less formal. Don't want you to go totally cold feet and run away now."

"I hadn't considered that yet. Thanks for the option."

She tossed the suit at him with a scowl. "Don't you dare run away on this, you big dork! You're blowing this way out of proportion! My parents already like you and papa won't eat you, no matter what you think."

He put the suit back and plopped his hands on her shoulders. "Your father looks incredibly scary and I don't know the man well enough to rest assured he won't kill me if he finds out anything I've been doing to you."

She snorted and shook her head, hand going to pat his cheek. "There, there. You'll survive to live another day in class." She pushed him to his bed and forced him to sit on it and relax as she went through his clothes. "I know my family and you'll do just fine, and I'm not just saying that to make you feel better."

She grabbed a pair of dark gray slacks and black sweater. It was soft and the thread was thin enough that he wouldn't get too hot since it was starting to warm enough to not need a jacket anymore. Her lips pursed as she stared at it, mind thinking about what would be best with it. The slacks were high quality and nicely pressed, and probably hardly worn. There was already a matching black belt stuck through the loops to be used whenever.

She gave a bemused hum, holding it in front of him to picture him in it. "Would you wear a tie?" She queried, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

"Do I need one?"

She smiled and tossed the hangers at him and then turned to the closet. "If you want to make something of an impression."

"I thought I already did that when I made an ass out of myself with your father in hearing distance." He groused, smoothing the slacks over his bed.

She shook her head and pulled out his tie rack. She found a black one with muted patterns and decided if he was slightly against it, it wouldn't stand out too much. She grabbed a white button-up to contrast just a little and pulled out a pair of shiny black loafers. "There you are, Monsieur." She gaily announced, throwing the loose tie around the back of his neck. "Classic, simple, doable." She held onto both ends, coy smile forming as she leaned down. "And if you don't like it, I'd be more than happy to help you get out of it later..."

The idea of Marinette loosening his tie for him, "that look" in her eyes as she did so, had his hand bringing her mouth to his before she could say anything else. "I'm sure it'll look nice." He mused when he pulled away. He let her stand and back away, taking a deep, calming breath as she did so. He stood and went for his shirt, but paused. "Are you going to be able to stand me changing?" He grinned, eyes twinkling with mischief.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm going to go get ready myself." She announced.

"You're not going in that?" His brow went up. "Please don't tell me this is going to be some kind of fancy dinner."

She snorted and grabbed her things. "With the size of the dinner table that we have? It's going to be normal. I'll just dress up a little with you so you don't feel so bad."

He just shrugged his shoulders and agreed to the fifteen minute window of ready time to meet her outside on the lawn so they could head out.

01010

A dream was walking across the lawn to him and he barely felt his loafers connect on the ground as he made his way to it.

He tried to find the right words to describe what she had on, but everything seemed too pathetic to do her justice. He stared down with entranced eyes, taking in the skin she showed at the shoulder, her forearms and calves, and the pattern she had worked with.

The dress was broken at the neck and shoulder, a bit of fabric fluttering around as sleeves, much like the ruffled skirt section that went to her knees. It took a second for him to recognize the pattern was butterflies on flowers and thought it was nice. The whole thing flattered her well, which was a no duh considering she had made it. Her hair was down and flowed around her shoulders and he noted that she had curled the edges a little in that short of time.

Teeth bit glossed lips as she felt her knees go weak and prayed she managed to actually do the walk to her parent's place. She couldn't stop looking him over, noting how he was doing the same. His hair was gelled and parted off the side, sweeping over his forehead in a way that made him debonaire. The jacket for later almost fell from her hands.

"Y – yea...yea... You...you d – definitely...look g – good...in a tie..." She heard herself say, eyes fixated on it. Her hand rose on its own and ran down it.

He harshly swallowed and took her fingers, raising the back of her palm to his lips in a light kiss. "You look...absolutely...beautiful. No, stunning. No...ravishing." He took a step closer, free hand running up her arm. "You should wear dresses more often."

She giggled as he went for the back of her palm again. Her skin tingled a little up her arm after another kiss and she took her hand back, lest she melt in a puddle in front of him. The night was still young, after all. "Hmm, I wonder what you would have done had I worn that pantsuit I had considered."

He wrapped her arm in his and started them off the lawn. "Maybe we'll have to find an occasion to wear it."

She grinned, heels clacking on the ground as she kept time with his legs. He didn't go too fast that she had to hurry to catch up. Despite their needing something of a little quicker pace, she liked the amble past the campus.

They went about two blocks before he abruptly grabbed his phone and started typing in the search bar. His mind raced, wondering how much cash he had with him now. There wasn't enough time to make a stop all the way back at his father's place and he didn't think he'd need his card. He tsked, but pulled her in the direction of his maps app, hoping the stop didn't cost them too much time.

She followed him until she couldn't take it anymore. "Where are we going?" She asked, wondering why he took them off-course.

His eyes remained mostly on the map, turning at a corner per the directions on his phone. "Call up your mom and ask her what we're having tonight."

"Huh?! Why?"

"Don't ask, just call her up." Green looked to the shops lining the street, lips twitching as they neared what he put into the search app on his phone.

Her phone was already ringing her parent's line when he tugged her past dozens of wine bottles. Her mouth dropped as he let her go and started looking around. "You're not buying another Dom Perignon!"

"What about Dom Perignon?"

She quickly paid attention to her mother's voice on the line. "Mama, Adrien is going to do something stupid and totally unnecessary and wants to know what's for dinner tonight."

"I just need to know if I should get a white or red." He broke in, sidling up to her.

"He certainly doesn't need to bring anything. We do have wine at the house already..."

"Mama says don't you dare!" She retorted, eyes narrowing.

"Humor me. Red or white?"

She heaved a sigh. "Mama..." She whined. Trying to complain to her mother in Mandarin wasn't going to do any good because Adrien understood it all! A hand covered her face. "I'm not going to get through to him, mama. Red or white?"

Sabine chuckled on the line. "Red will be sufficient. A dry or semi-sweet will be perfect."

"I'll try to keep his wallet from flying out the door and we'll be there after this." She groused, disconnecting the line. She looked up to find him already walking away, having been close enough to hear her conversation. "Just keep it under a hundred Euro please!" She begged, trailing after him with her hands at her sides. There was too much money that she didn't have if she broke anything in here!

He didn't respond to the plea as he found one of the employees, giving the details and following the person to a rack. He listened to the recommendations, finally picking one and letting the employee whisk it off to bag up.

She gaped at the hole left. "You did NOT just pick out a Gevrey-Chamertin!"

He grinned and grabbed his wallet. "What's wrong? Don't like the brand?"

"It's almost eighty Euro!" She nearly screeched, flushing when the words left her mouth. Her shoulders hunched to her ears, looking away when she felt eyes.

He grabbed the decorative bag, nodded his thanks for help in picking out his purchase, and wrapped his free arm around her shoulders to help her out the door. "I'm not going to go in with a Latour Camblanes." He mumbled, directing them back on track to her parent's place. "I'm going to pull the wealth rank here and make another impression."

"Dom Perignon was more than enough." She grumbled, falling in step with him.

"You said keep it under a hundred and I did." He replied with a grin.

"By buying one of the most expensive wines in that price range..." She growled, teeth clenched at his cheekiness. She had half a mind to ground her heel into those expensive loafers except she didn't want to have to make him a new pair because she permanently scarred the ones he had on.

He laughed, arm going around her waist as they kept going. "You'll enjoy it. If dry or semi-sweet was what she said, this will match even if I don't know what we're having."

"I'm ignoring you and focusing on the walk." She mumbled, arms crossing. "I'm not going to be able to win here so I'm not going to talk to you."

His free hand reached up and ruffled her hair, just to get a rise out of her. He dodged the initial swat, though her elbow connected with his side. He rubbed his ribs a few times before taking her hand and continuing on.

"You're incorrigible..." She mumbled, trying not to smile.

"Would you like to hold the bag?" He cracked, grinning. This was just too much fun.

"You bought it, you carry it." She retorted. "I'll just drink it."

He laughed again, swinging her arm a little as they walked. "You're so funny, Marinette."

"Gee thanks. Ignoring you again."

He poked fun at her for the next few blocks until the smell of baked goods found his nose. He inhaled deeply, but quickly became confused. "Wait...I thought your parents had dinner waiting? Don't tell me the bakery is still open!"

She smiled and headed for the side door. "That smell has a tendency to linger. They've probably been closed since about the time we were getting ready." She opened the door and heavenly smells of food made her stomach rumble. She ignored it and headed for the stairs. "I bet mama left first when it was slow to get things started and papa helped get everything on the dishes."

He stopped at a door he hadn't seen probably five months. He wanted to tug at the tie that was suddenly suffocating him, teeth biting his lip as she politely knocked on wood. It opened maybe a minute later with Sabine greeting them.

"Come in, come in. Adrien, you certainly didn't have to bring anything. We invited you after all."

He smiled and held out the bag for Sabine to take. He watched her eyes widen a little once she saw the label and leveled him with the gaze. He shrugged, feeling bashful for going all out again, though he was silently happy she liked it. "I couldn't come and eat all your amazing food without bringing a little goodie with me."

She blinked and let the pair get situated inside. They headed near the kitchen and Sabine passed the bottle to Tom, who gave the same look when he found the label. "I don't think what we cooked is as impressive as Gevrey-Chamertin, my dear boy."

"We do appreciate the gesture though." Tom piped up with a smile. "We'll get the wine poured. Please take your spots and get comfortable."

He let Marinette direct him to his chair for the evening, watching her take one next to him. There were plates beautifully designed with various portions of numerous foods he couldn't wait to try. He stared at everything, letting his eyes gorge on the beauty his tongue would soon enjoy, giving his thanks when a wine glass was set near his utensils.

Sabine and Tom took their seats in front of the pair. Sabine's hand swept out to one of the dishes to introduce it. "It's nothing much, mind you. Starting off with marinated leeks with herbs, baked white bean and duck casserole, some bread on the side, and a Lyon-style salad."

"It looks delicious, mama." She smiled at her parents. "Thank you for all your hard work."

"I just know it's going to be absolutely amazing because my mouth is watering just smelling it." He praised, fingers itching to grab his fork.

"There are a few desserts with an accompanying wine afterward if you're still hungry." Tom added, going for his utensils.

He went for his own silverware and tried to make his mind as to what to have first. The second he decided on one of the leeks and put a piece past his lips, he knew he was going to make an idiot out of himself at the table.

"This ish tho good!" He mumbled with wide eyes, hand covering his mouth.

She giggled and ate with a little more grace, sneaking peeks as he pretty much devoured the leeks and started in on the salad. She spent a little more time talking to her parents than he did, though he tried to answer questions when directed to him. She answered for him a lot of times when he had a bite he was chewing so he didn't spit anything across the table like she had once done to him. She just knew he'd want to die if he accidentally flung food at her mother.

She went into their classes at ISC and how they had been doing with the remaining months of the second year almost over. She let Adrien describe some of his work around classes.

He did a great job covering when her mother asked how they had met.

Conversation was good, flowed naturally, and the pauses weren't awkward. Sabine gave him another helping of everything and he ate as if he hadn't all day. He bemoaned his lack of cooking skills and not being able to make use of the recipes he wanted to take home, but Sabine mused that her daughter was well-adept in the kitchen and could make him pretty much anything he wanted if he asked nicely.

He quickly looked to her with a grin, ignoring the sputtering that he knew was taken out of context.

"I'll be more than happy to ask as nicely as a gentleman should." He agreed, hearing her almost choke on the wine she tried to drink. His hand came up and patted her back as she grabbed the napkin and covered her mouth, lest red unnecessarily decorate the table.

She was going to kill him! She glared over the cloth as best as she could, eyes tearing up. She dabbed her eyes, hoping her mascara didn't come off too much.

"One thing that still confuses me though." Sabine broke in, almost purposely ignoring the two. "Your name sounded familiar. Adrien Agreste..."

"From Gabriel Agreste, right?" Tom continued. "I didn't want to say anything, but I'm curious, too."

He pasted on a smile to a question he had heard more times than he ever wanted to hear again. He had been under his father's thumb so much and being his poster boy for the Gabriel line pretty much made him "Gabriel's son" for too many years. He was hoping that someday, somehow, he could break out and make a name for himself. How he didn't know, but the desire was always reinforced whenever his last name was brought up.

"That's the one." He repeated, face freezing in practiced politeness.

"Aaahhh." Sabine answered, looking to Marinette.

Such an "ah" in a drawl like that said Sabine found an answer to a question which had been plaguing her. It also had his curiosity to cat-like proportions and he looked between the family members.

"Oh...that." Tom added with a nod, mustache twitching up. "I wondered..."

She slammed the napkin on the table harder than intended, face flamed at their eyes. "Y – yes! That Agreste!" She stammered, already sweating a little. "We can move on now and have dinner!"

He looked to her, brow going up. "What's the matter with my last name?"

"Oh nothing, dear boy." Sabine broke in with a smile. "It's just that we didn't recognize your name because -"

"Mama!"

Sabine's smile widened a little. "We hadn't heard it in so many years that we're out of practice."

He looked between mother and daughter. Marinette was red as a tomato and hiding her face in her hands while her mother looked to be having too much fun teasing her over something.

Tom grabbed his knife to cut into the duck, eyes also playful. "Your name was something of a staple in this house for a number of years."

"Papa!" She whined, grabbing the cloth again and burying her face in it.

"But...I suppose you can always ask her about it later..." He mused, closing the topic and yet starting it up for later on.

He had a million questions to ask at those final words, but Tom and Sabine immediately switched the subject to the bakery and that they'd love to have him in to try some of their wares someday soon. Marinette had pretty much refused to bring her face from its hiding spot until another comment from them got her rapt attention and more irritated comments.

Later, he silently figured. He was going to find out more to this sudden mystery they presented him later. For now...he had yet to finish the wine he was thoroughly enjoying with his duck.

01010

Dessert was amazing...but, for the owners of a bakery, that was a given. He avidly proclaimed that he needed to stop by and intended on purchasing anything that looked appetizing to try. Which didn't seem too hard if everything tasted as heavenly as the pureed strawberries he was scooping into his mouth via help of some almond cookies her parents had somehow shaped to look like chips.

He didn't know how he was this hungry after all he had eaten at dinner, but the food was too good to leave alone. After so many years of having a chef until he got into college, he was well-versed in good cooking. Perhaps all those years at college of grabbing something at a cafe had dulled his taste buds to the true enjoyment of good food.

With exceptionally good company attached to that of course.

"It looks like you're going to have to learn this recipe as well, Marinette." Sabine teased, holding up the dessert wine. "Would you like a refill, Adrien?"

He held out the near empty glass with a nod, giving a sheepish "thanks" at how much he'd already consumed so far. They looked happy that he loved their cooking though, so he didn't say anything about the issue.

He nibbled on the edge of a cookie over the crystal cup in his hands as he watched the trio discuss Marinette's third year and if she needed any help with finances.

"I'm set...please don't worry yourselves for me, mama...papa." She insisted, waving them off.

"If you need any money though, you know you're welcome to take what you need." Sabine continued.

She nodded. "I took enough when you paid for Sorbonne...to my eternal gratitude." She asserted. She sat back on the couch and took a small drink of the dessert wine. "I've got the first half of the third year set up in the bank already. All I need is to contact some people to get my fall line going in the next few months. I'll be set once production for the holidays picks back up again."

His ears perked up with that and he watched her discuss some ideas that she had in her head. He sat back and sipped his wine, enjoying just watching how animated she became as she tried to describe some of the items she hadn't pulled from her head yet. He couldn't wait to see them on her website. He wondered who she'd contact as models, wondering if he should offer his services...wondering if she'd accept it or not.

His lips twitched and he filed the idea away for later, hoping he'd remember. 'What could it hurt...'

 _Adrien's outfit inspiration: cdnc lystit com/photos/2013/11/25/polo-ralph-lauren-black-merino-wool-vneck-sweater-product-1-15300269-189657801_large_flex jpeg_

 _Marinette's outfit inspiration: modcloth com/shop/special-occasion-dresses/exquisite-upon-entry-floral-dress/10086369 html?cgid=special_occasion_dresses_437 &dwvar_10086369_color=BLKPR# _

_Wine Adrien bought: nicolas com/fr/Vins/Louis-Jadot-Gevrey-Chambertin-2011/p/468730 html_

 _Wine Adrien mentioned: nicolas com/fr/Vins/Vins-de-Bordeaux/Chateau-Latour-Camblanes-2012/p/471118 html_

 _Dinner ideas: saveur com/article/-/Classic-French-Recipes#page-20_

 _Dessert idea:_

 _epicurien be / blog / recettes / confitures-chutneys / marmelades / puree-de-fraises-au-vin-rouge asp + meilleurduchef com/fr/recette/tuiles-amandes html_


	57. Gathering supplies

The all-too short break ended and the remainder of the second semester continued back up. He didn't like it for so many reasons, the biggest one that she had class before him and left so early in the morning. Even if she started stashing some of her clothes in his room upon his insistence so that she could still sleep at his side on occasion, she still headed out that door sooner than he wanted her to.

As if he ever wanted her to.

The other, terrible thing about her leaving so early was that she got out sooner than he did. That didn't help the urge to skip his final class so he could spend those lost minutes with her. The second he idly mentioned it, knowing he never would without hearing from his father, she verbally conked him on the head for the idea and threatened to stop sleeping in his bed for a week if he ever did so. Even one time. He was at school to learn, just as she was, not to mess around.

He pouted, but knew she was right. Even if he didn't care about his major, knowing he'd have to start up hers once he was done with his. Natalie could easily have taught him almost everything he was learning with less homework and half the time. He supposed if he gave in to his father's wishes and became a much bigger part of the company, he could shadow the man and see it firsthand.

As if...

The other reason he didn't skip his last class was because she said she was going to use that time to be productive with her designs so that she could put it aside when he was done. She explained how she was trying very hard to keep him in her head a little more than her work, but that she did have a business to run. With the seasons changing fast and the ideas not put on paper yet, she had a lot of sketching and tweaking to do before she ever started looking for materials.

He gave her that, happy she was attempting to separate herself, unlike in the beginning. He knew how busy she would be after the summer wound down to fall and the smartest shoppers started emailing her with their Noel gift requests. He only hoped by then that he would be okay with either helping her however he could or giving her the space she required to do what she needed for those few months.

In the meantime...he was on a mission.

" _Pick_ _whatever_ _you_ _want_ _and_ _give_ _me_ _the_ _recipe._ _I_ _don't_ _care_ _what_ _it_ _is;_ _it_ _shouldn't_ _be_ _too_ _hard_ _to_ _figure_ _out."_

" _Are_ _you_ _sure?_ _I_ _don't_ _want_ _to_ _demand_ _something_ _too_ _complicated_ _on_ _the_ _first_ _try..."_

" _Oh_ _please._ _Who_ _do_ _you_ _take_ _me_ _for?_ _I_ _may_ _not_ _be_ _Alya,_ _but_ _cooking_ _and_ _baking_ _go_ _hand_ _in_ _hand._ _Find_ _whatever_ _it_ _is_ _you_ _want,_ _give_ _me_ _the_ _recipe_ _a_ _few_ _days_ _ahead_ _of_ _time,_ _and_ _then_ _we_ _can_ _head_ _out_ _to_ _get_ _the_ _ingredients._ _You're_ _buying_ _though._ _I'm_ _just_ _cooking_ _it_ _for_ _you_ _and_ _eating_ _it_ _with_ _you."_

His lips twitched. Whatever he wanted, huh? There WAS a dish he sorely missed during his time in Italy. It was hard to recall since it was so long ago and he had only eaten it once. It took a long time of thinking back to the restaurant he had been at so he could pull up the website.

He regretted never having taken a picture on his phone, never thinking he'd ever get to eat it again. He had been in the presence of classmates and didn't want to seem too much like a tourist, but it took a lot of picture searching to match the restaurant's menu until he found it.

"Trenette con Gamberoni, Agretti e Pomodorini".

The picture itself didn't look too complicated, but the sauce had been amazing, the flavors vibrant and he enjoyed it as much as he did the cookies that Marinette made, which he scarfed. He didn't want the recipe to be too annoying for her, but if he could eat that again, he'd be grateful. The feeling of camaraderie that he felt with those he no longer kept in contact with he could share with her and alter the memory...adapt it to this time in his life.

He got too caught up in looking at pictures from the restaurant, finding a dessert he really wanted to try. He didn't want her to end up making the gelato, knowing it would take too long to do so. He found himself hungrier and more hopeful for this meal than he thought he would be.

The thought of cooking dinner with Marinette and eating it with her in the dorm had him floating around class as it did make him impatient for the hours to pass until he could get her the recipes he snuck peeks at while not listening to his teachers.

She did say just one, but he hoped that if he helped with the dessert, they could enjoy it, too. "Tarte Tatin con Gelato alla Crema". It looked like some kind of fruit pie with gelato. Various internet pictures showed the final design a little different every time. He figured that would be easier on her and decided to press his luck. After all...she could always say "no"...

"It doesn't seem too hard." She proclaimed, folding the papers back up. She smirked and gave him a pat on the cheek. "Thanks for translating it to French for me."

He smiled and the anticipation he had been trying to squash reared its ugly head. "When are we going to get ingredients?"

She looked around her room to the sketchpads she had on her bed and the one garment she had deviated to making for a customer. A hand scratched her head with a thoughtful sigh. "I suppose it won't take more than a few minutes to get cleaned up and make sure nothing falls apart on the mannequin..." She looked to him, finding his eyes lit up.

She smiled. 'How cute...he's like a little kid...'

"Already have your wallet?"

He nodded and watched her proceed to clean up. He stood off to the side, trying to get a glimpse of whatever it was she had been working on before the front cover was closed. He wanted to mention that she should show him her designs sometime, but kept his mouth shut. He could always try his luck with that at a later time. Right now, it was grocery shopping.

She gave the room a final once-over and nodded. She snatched her purse just in case and looked to him. "Ready." She passed him when he waved her ahead and locked the door behind her.

The distance required a bus ride, but there were only two stops. He suddenly worried that the gelato would melt before they could get it, but the weather was still a tad chilly and the humidity wasn't too bad today. Perhaps things would hold up before being devoured. He supposed they could have gone online and ordered everything, then waited for it to show up, but the ambiance of walking down the aisles with her was too much to pass up.

They got off just at the edge of a Carrefour and headed for the cross-walk. He jumped a little when she grabbed his hand and tugged him across the street. He easily matched her jog, wondering if she could turn him around anymore without even trying.

She grabbed a basket, handing it to him to carry as she snagged the list from her pant's pocket. She opened it up, scanning the items and looking to the produce section first. A finger looped around the edge of the basket at the crook of his arm and she pulled him without words.

He watched her face turn utterly serious as she went over the stack of tomatoes, touching them with the utmost care and picking out a string of cherry size that the recipe called for. She moved on to grab a head of garlic, pausing as she looked to the paper for the next item, brow furrowing.

His head craned forward when she gave a hum. "What's the matter?"

Teeth momentarily bit her lip. "What's this?" She asked, pointing to a word he hadn't translated.

He followed the fingernail, finding "salsola soda" the issue she was having.

"Ah..." He mumbled, cringing a little. "It's...kind of hard to describe..."

She waited for him to explain, not getting much of a depiction other than it was a plant used in Italian dishes. She looked to the purse at her side, grabbed her phone and put the name into the search engine.

He watched her scan the info, fingering her lower lip in concentration and had the urge to kiss her in public. She would most definitely get upset with him he knew, but it would be worth it. He tried to quell his smile at the notion.

The article was informative, but there was nothing similar to switch it out with. Carrefour wasn't the largest grocery store in Paris and while they had all the basics for French dishes, this was one specialty item she doubted they had. "Hmm, it says here we can substitute spinach for it, but the flavor won't be as good."

She pulled up Alya's number, hoping her friend would be available. It was the middle of the afternoon; classes were probably done, but it was too early for her to head to work. She smiled when the line connected and her friend's voice came through.

"What's up girl? Haven't heard from you in a while."

"I need help with a recipe substitution." She announced. "Sorry. I don't have a lot of time. I'm kind of in the middle of the grocery store."

"No problem, girl. Just tell me fill me in later."

She described the item and the flavor that the website described. She waited for a moment, listening to Alya's hum as she thought.

"Only thing that comes to mind is rosemary. They both are pretty pungent and bitter. If that Italian plant is as strong as you described, so is rosemary."

She smiled and thanked her friend before hanging up. "Success." She gaily announced, giving him a thumb's up. She put the phone back and grabbed the basket again, dragging him off to a small section of fresh herbs and pulled one of the cartons from its resting spot. She dumped it in the basket and headed away from the produce section.

He paused as they passed the bakery section and grinned. He halted them, getting her confused eyes. "Do we need anything from here?" He asked, jerking his thumb at the stacked cakes and rows of pastries.

"I will swat you. Don't be ridiculous." She retorted, ignoring his snicker and pulled the basket with more force to continue to where she originally planned. She glared to the end of the aisle, knowing he was trying to be cute on purpose and get her riled up. She wound them down an aisle of chips and other snacks, only stopping when she spotted the olive oil. She plucked a small bottle from the shelf and put it in with the small list of ingredients.

Fingers plucked the list from its resting spot in her jeans again, looking to the last set of items on the first dish. "What's...pappardelle?"

Her pronunciation was terrible, but cute. His tried to hide his smile as she looked his way for an answer. "It's a really wide noodle. It's just a style of pasta; you can get whatever."

Her mind already whirled as she looked to the lengthy choices before them. She finally grabbed a box of angel hair from the shelf and dropped it inside. "That'll be easier to cook." She mumbled, taking off again.

They stopped at a small meat counter and her eyes widened at the price of shrimp. She cast him a glance, finding his bemused look going her way when she didn't pick anything up. "You don't mind paying thirty Euro for a dozen shrimp, right?"

He snorted and rolled his eyes. He leaned down and got in her face, a smug smile tilting his lips. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

She pushed him back with a grouse, lips pouting. "Ah yes...forgot I'm near a rich boy." She mumbled, trying not to be too loud with the last part. She checked out the color and size before selecting one and dropping it in, finalizing the first dish.

Blue went to the recipe again, flipping it to the other half and the dessert portion. "Okay...let's see...this shouldn't be too hard..." She trailed off, mentally making the dish in her head. A brow suddenly went up. "Brisket pasta? What the hell? Why?" She gave the paper an odd look. "That seems really weird. I wonder if that's how it's supposed to be translated..."

He stood at a loss for words, watching as she suddenly whipped out her phone and typed the dessert name into her search engine. She pulled up the first video in connection with the recipe, eyes avidly taking in the cook's directions, even though he doubted she spoke the language. He listened to the cook, knowing everything she said, but didn't say a word. Not with the look of utter concentration she had on her face.

'Is she learning a dish from another country, in a language she doesn't understand, by just watching it?' He pondered, slightly amazed.

The video was only about seven minutes long. There were a few words she understood, but only because she had been in the business so long that it was hard to miss things like "caramelize". There were enough hand motions and the cook was good enough to point at everything that she got the main gist without having to worry about not getting the directions.

Not like she'd never made an apple tart before though...

"Looks pretty simple. I get it now..." She mumbled, mostly to herself. She left the screen up and went back to the paper. "I wonder if we have any pans that can go in the oven." Her brows suddenly furrowed. "Do we even have an oven that big? IS there an oven?"

She went on and on for the next few minutes, working out the instructions to herself. He stood off to the side, scooting out of the way of the meat they were still loitering around. She suddenly looked around at the aisle they were in, humming as she looked around.

"What's the matter?" He asked, wondering if he needed to ask.

She startled and looked to him as if forgetting he was there. "Oh! I'm just wondering if it'd be easier to have a few less apples if I cut them in slices. I bet if I did that, I could cut down on the cooking time. I vaguely remember we have a few oven ranges in my kitchen, but I don't ever recall using a full-sized one." She wandered back to the produce section, still rambling. "If I needed to make it smaller, which I might do, I could get away with less. Then there wouldn't be so many leftovers after all that pasta... Plus, if I didn't have any pans big enough like in the video, I could use the range and make a few smaller ones and stick it in the fridge for you for later..."

She went on about all the possibilities of one recipe he didn't know was this complex, nor so difficult. He honestly rarely used the kitchen in the dorm that much and couldn't recall everything she was going on about.

She settled on the few changes to the ingredients, fixing the bad translation and figuring out what she needed. She grabbed a small container of powder cinnamon in case there were no graters in the kitchen; a lemon; a small bag of sugar; three, pale green apples; the smallest pastry dough they had; and let him pick out the gelato.

She stared at everything in the basket, calculating all the items and hoping it wasn't going to go bad before they got home. "Okay, that's everything on the list that we can get." She ended, leaning forward a little as she scanned it. "It'd be better to get everything cooked at once so neither of us are running around still making things or have to worry about anything burning. The original recipe is a bit too big, so I'll adjust it down where needed. You'll still have an extra tart left over though...and maybe some ice cream if you don't eat it all tonight."

She was going too fast on things that were a tad out of his grasp, so he shrugged it off and mentally vowed to do as he was told when they got back. He smiled and threw an arm around her shoulders, giving a squeeze. "That's why you're the brains of the outfit." He cracked, shaking her shoulders a bit. "I'm just the payer and the holder."

Her brow went up as she looked at him. "You don't cook much, do you?"

He shrugged. "I grew up with a chef making all my meals and ate out most of the time I was in Milan. Anything I made when I was there wasn't much because my friends and I ate out a lot. The last year of ISC, it was easier to get something in a nearby cafe and snack later."

She sighed, face plopping in her hands. Her head shook at how helpless he was...or was that hapless? "It's a good thing you picked something basic..." She mumbled, striding away for the check-out. She ignored the reaction of a woman who was probably about their age and was obviously star-struck as she rang everything through the system.

It didn't help when Adrien gave her a charming smile when he paid.

Nails dug into her palms and she snatched up both bags to keep from hurting herself. She needed to give her hands something to do, lest she haul off and whack him for giving a smile that she only wanted to be hers!

He didn't fail to notice the glance of jealousy, or when she practically stomped to the sliding doors. He was partially flattered, but hurried after her before any bad seeds stuck in her mind.

He took one of the bags before she could protest. It almost forcefully went out of her hand and she looked his way, blinking at finding his open palm with spread fingers facing her. "Wha...?"

He grinned as he pulled her out of the doorway and other passerbys. "I always wanted to do this. Humor me."

She looked from his hand to him and back. "We've held hands already..." A brow went up again.

"Not that. I wanna hold hands while carrying a bag of groceries back home." His fingers flexed, waiting for her to join him. "Coooommme ooooonn..."

She was utterly confused at the random request, wondering at it until it dawned on her that a famous model like him, one who she read had been cloistered for a long time at home, probably didn't have a lot of normal experiences in life such as these. His relationship tank was empty and he was asking her to fill it for him. The simple vision of holding his girlfriend's hand on their way back from the grocery store together, he had never done before.

She gave a smile and looked to the ground as her fingers entwined with his, feeling a squeeze around her much smaller digits.

He flashed her a brilliant smile, swinging their arms a little as he tugged her this time to the bus stop. "Thanks, Marinette." He blurted out, lightly bumping shoulders with hers.

She caught her footing as she stumbled. "For what?"

"For humoring me. For letting me do something selfish."

Her lips pressed together. She quickly put the bag down and pulled his shirt to drag him down low enough to kiss him. She snatched everything up in the same hand, trying to keep their fingers entwined for his sake. "You're doing nothing of the sort." She looked to the approaching bus, face hot. "And I'll humor you as much as I can. I want to give you all sorts of normal things in your life...as many as I can do."

He let the others get on the bus before him so he could give the top of her head a return kiss. She couldn't get any more perfect and his chest was going to burst with all the emotions she let him feel on a daily basis. "Come my love, let's get this food made!"

She plopped down in the seat, mouth scrunched up. "Don't call me 'my love'. It sounds too cliche."

He looked at her, finding her happily disgruntled. He gave a thoughtful hum for only a moment before bursting into another bright smile. "How about my lady? Is that acceptable?"

A small giggle burst forth before she could control herself and quickly cleared her throat. Her cheeks burned at the pet name, knowing she was going to request it as often as he'd say it. She felt his fingers clench as he squeezed her hand, his temple going against her head.

"Th – that...sounds f – fine..."

 _Restaurant_ _inspiration:_ _nerinodieci it/menu_3 html_

 _Grocery_ _store_ _inspiration:_ _Carrefour_ _City_ _Paris_ _Avenue_ _de_ _Clichy,_ _175_ _Avenue_ _de_ _Clichy,_ _Paris,_ _France_ _(Google_ _image_ _it)_

 _Pastry_ _dessert:_ _ricette giallozafferano it/Tarte-tatin html_


	58. Homecooked dinner

"Get that ice cream in the freezer for now. It's too soft as it is. It won't make it against the heat of the tart later."

He did as ordered, letting her flutter around him in boss mode. She whisked items to the sink and washed what little produce there was. He grabbed a pot that she pointed to and filled it up with water for pasta.

She looked to the shrimp she had picked which was thankfully beheaded and the outer shell already taken off. She cut off all the tails and looked to him, finding him leaning against the table and watching her in slight amusement...or admiration. She quickly looked back to her work and readied the knife. "Do you want me to cut these up further or leave them with just the tail off?"

He strode up behind her, immediately wrapping his arms around her waist, his chin going on her shoulder. "I'll leave that up to you, My Lady. You're the expert in the kitchen."

She burst into a smile, teeth failing to grab her lower lip as she tried to remember she was holding a sharp object near them. "Th – then...go check on the p – pasta water..." She looked over the other shoulder to the stove, ears perked for boiling noises. "Maybe turn up the gas a little and get it to a boil first."

She cut the shrimp into bite sizes and left them to sit for the moment. She grabbed another pan and turned the gas on, keeping it on low. She added a good drizzle of olive oil, letting it heat as she chopped up a few cloves of garlic and then tossed them in. She stirred everything a few times, nose sniffing to make sure nothing was burning. She turned the flame down to barely there as she pulled the rosemary into small pieces and sprinkled it into the mix. After stirring that a few times, she snatched a serrated knife from the mix and went to chop the cherry tomatoes in half.

It was on the tip of his tongue to announce her perfection, but he held himself back. Partially because she might slip and cut herself if she fumbled with the knife, so he'd have to wait to announce it once they were eating. As it was, she was going too fast for him to keep up and he could only helplessly watch, feeling useless and thus stood off to the side in contentment.

Despite "winging" the recipe, she was doing an immensely good job and the aroma of everything started permeating the small room. He didn't exactly recall the smell from that day, but what she was working on was amazing in itself and it was making his mouth water. He kept himself from any snacks before they left for the store and he was only now aware of how hungry he was getting.

She kept an eye on the tomatoes so they didn't burn and looked to the pasta pan that was bubbling on the bottom. "Toss in the noodles." She announced, still stirring the rest. "Just put the whole thing in. We've got enough to do so and if we don't, I'll figure it out and you can eat the leftovers later."

He did as told, covering it and setting the flame to her liking. He watched as close as he dared while she threw salt in the pasta pan and grabbed a ladle from its resting spot on the other side of the room. She added a few good spoonfuls of the pasta water into the sauce per the video she had seen earlier.

Towel in between her and the lid handle, she pulled it off and stirred the angel hair. "Hmm...how squishy do you like your pasta?" She asked, looking behind her.

"Squishy." He responded with a smile.

She promptly put the lid back on and waved the steam from her face. "This needs a few more minutes then, I think." She went for yet another pan and the last available stove top. "Now for the easy part." She mused, grabbing a big knife from the wooden block.

He watched her expertly slice up apples into thin pieces in almost no time at all. She whirled around and stuck her fingers into the butter, taking a huge chunk and lining two metal pie pans that she intended on using for the tarts. A few spoonfuls of sugar went on the bottom of the tin after the butter was down, then the apples in layers with butter still on her fingers. Her clean hand dropped more sugar on the slices before putting a second bout of cut apples down. She topped it off with more sugar and set it aside, quickly repeating the same process in the other pan.

She somehow managed to set the tins atop a fairly small sauce pan, water in between them. She set the water boil on medium, not happy at such a bad adjustment that was going to cook things slower than she wanted. The original video was nothing like this, but she knew considering the heat, or maybe adding more sugar for caramel, would keep the apples from drying out in the oven range. There wasn't a pan like in the video, which would allow her to follow directions as she had seen them.

But...this wasn't the first tart that she had ever made in the last twelve years either...

A steaming method could be done, but things might not cook as well, the possibility of water boiling over underneath, or it getting into the tart, were the biggest problems. She liked the initial stove cooking method, but she didn't want to burn the tin with the flame. There wasn't a wide enough pan that she could put the tins in and also get out just as easily. She didn't want to burn her hands trying to get it out, so this was the best method. She could get a metal spatula underneath this well enough to grasp the side with a cloth and put it into the range. While the first cooked, the other could go at its own leisure, since it would most likely be for days down the road anyway.

Provided he didn't inhale everything like his eyes were currently trying to do, that was.

She looked to the main dish, finding the pasta ready and dumped it into a strainer in the sink. She let it stay to drip for a moment before dumping the entire thing into the sauce pan.

He was so tempted to rush behind her and snag a few noodles if she kept fluffing everything like she was doing. It looked so appetizing and he couldn't tear his gaze away. Whether this would mimic an earlier memory he honestly didn't know, but she was replacing something he had almost entirely forgotten with something better.

"Y'know...you COULD get a few plates out. And forks. Spoons...knives... Maybe a few napkins?" She smirked, brow going up as she looked over a shoulder.

He startled from his spot and did as commanded, happy to be of use as he set the table for two, heart fluttering a little at the whole thing. Other than with her parents and a few instances in Milan, it had been a long time since he sat down to a home-cooked meal with someone he held dear. She made it even better because it was her and everything was put together with her brilliant expertise.

He stopped behind her once he finished, arms going around her waist. "Thanks for dinner, My Lady."

"Hot pan, hot pan!" She nearly shouted, clutching at the handle as she stumbled against him. Her face flamed at the kiss to her cheek and the arms that tugged her against him. She almost dropped everything, but quickly rested it on the stove top, clacking metal on metal and sending sparks flying. She exited his hold long enough to turn the stove off and catch the embers before they landed on any curtains.

His hands settled on her hips when she faced him, glaring at his actions. "That was dangerous!" She slapped an arm. "I almost lost the whole pan on the both of us and the stove! Then what would we do?!"

"Eat out." He easily replied, getting dangerously narrowed eyes. He kissed her nose, pulling her against him. "But I would still be highly sad if I didn't get to try this amazing meal you put together in no time. I'm in awe, My Lady."

His praise effectively jogged her upset and calmed her down a little. His pet name was the biggest damage and her lips tilted. She let him kiss her as he probably intended to do before he almost capsized them both.

She looked behind her to the pan that was safely boiling away. The smell of melted sugar and cooking apples met her nose and she sniffed to see how it was going. The apples would be able to cook better with the thinness she cut them at and it would be a huge help with the method she was using right now. Had she cut them in fourths like the video directed, they would take too long. As it was, eying how they were already turning brown in most spots, it would be ready for the range soon.

"I think that needs five to ten minutes more and then it's ready to bake." She reported, turning for dinner. She grabbed a pair of tongs and extended an empty hand for the plates, which he quickly moved for. She scooped up a helping for her and passed it, checking with him on the amount he wanted, which ended up with a few scoops.

She put aside what she could for now in order to enjoy the meal and peered at the setup. "Too bad we don't have any chardonnay to go with this, but oh well. Water can always suffice for now." She grabbed the bottle of olive oil and drizzled more on top. "The video did this before it ended. Sorry I didn't see it at the store and get any cheese to go on top."

"I'm sure it'll be delicious." He praised, itching for his utensils. "It looks appetizing enough as it is." He waited for her to get situated and went for his the second she did hers.

A groan left him at the flavor before he could help himself. He inhaled a few bites before pausing to give the commentary he knew she was probably waiting on. He met her eyes, finding her worried and curious. "Is it too soon to ask you to marry me?"

She promptly coughed through the bite she had been chewing, fearing a chunk of garlic had passed through the back of her nose with how it burned. She couldn't see him for the tears in her eyes, face flaming like the sun at such a bold announcement. "Wa...ter..." She only croaked, hand covering her mouth. Her other hand accepted it when he held it near, taking a few sips to help the poor noodles go where they needed to.

He was sheepish and winced a little at the glare for the stunt. She didn't say anything, but it was clear his words left their mark. He smiled, not wanting to take them back, but not wanting to close the topic. "Is that a no?"

She almost spit water across the table. "Are you trying to kill me?" She nearly screeched, clearing her throat multiple times. A hand slammed on the table, her heart doing somersaults. "Eat y – your dinner a – and let me e – enjoy mine!"

He had the decency to flush a little and dropped the topic.

She stood at the level of awkward she needed to get away from and looked to the dessert. It was done enough for now, the stove only necessary to get the apples started and melt the sugar. She snagged a wide spatula and towel, precariously managing to get the whole thing into the open range. In only a minute, watching her fingers, she put the pie dough over the top and tucked it in as best she could. She finagled the time and temperature for the different size tart, knowing how to do so long ago, and went back to the oven. She checked the water level and added more before plopping the second pan down, though she managed to burn the edges of her fingers a little.

He stood when she gasped and turned with a cringe, blowing on her fingers. He rounded the table in a second and grasped her fingers, pulling her to the sink. He turned the faucet on cold and held them under, the two of them silent.

She waited until the pain subsided before taking her hands back. She turned off the water, feeling like a klutz after doing such a good job on everything. "Sorry..." She mumbled, face heating in embarrassment.

He hugged her tightly. "Are you alright, My Lady?"

A shiver stole up her spine. She wondered what those words would do to her if he whispered them in her ear in the dark. Her eyes clouded over as she stared at the floor, not really seeing it as she was already in a memory she had yet to create. "Y – yea..." She quietly managed, burying her face in his chest.

His brow furrowed a little and he pulled her away at the change in her voice. She had "that look" in her eyes and his mouth went dry. His hand gravitated to the bottom of her chin, slowly arching her face to his and slowly kissing her for a few breaths.

He tasted like garlic and rosemary and olive oil when his tongue found hers. She was barely aware of when he pulled away, too busy to try and catch her breath.

"It looks like I need to properly thank you for dinner and dessert tonight..."

She shivered again at the tone in his voice, already feeling him pressed up against her. Her inner thighs burned, but she didn't spend all this time on dinner not to eat it.

In a moment though...

She pushed back enough to snake her hands up his chest, watching them as they landed on his shoulders and entwined behind his neck. Her lips tilted a little, eyes playfully narrowing. "I do believe you were planning on thanking me as a gentleman should..."

He pushed her up against the counter, hands gripping her thighs and hoisting her up to the top. His hands flattened next to her hips as he leaned into the kiss. "I...can think...of a few things...for My Lady..." He mumbled around her mouth.

Her hands clutched his hair. That pet name was going to be dangerous and it was already starting to do her in. Her legs ended up winding around his waist, pushing him against her and causing the breath to rush from her. It took a lot of mental screaming at herself to remember where they were and that the flies were going to get to everything at this rate before they would.

She slowly pushed him away, the two of them panting for air. She felt his fingers dig into her jeans, his forehead rest against hers. She looked into dark emeralds that were ready to get lost in every inch of skin she possessed, inside and out, and tried to swallow.

"D...dinner...is going to g – get...cold..." She mumbled. She let go and hopped off the table when he finally stepped away for his chair.

Once he went back to normal, his hunger returned with a vengeance and he all but inhaled the entire plate. He was extremely tempted to dish himself seconds, but stood when she went for the electric range and took the hot pie pan out for her, only letting her shut the door and get the other pie dough over the second tart.

"I can get it...really!" She insisted, tugging against his grip. "You're going to make me drop it or you're going to drop it!"

He was stronger than she was and kept both hands with the towel on the tin. "I'm not going to watch you burn yourself again. Let me do it."

She finally acquiesced with a pout, not happy that she couldn't finish what she had almost done entirely by herself anyway. She was glad he helped, but he asked her to do this and she was just as happy to make him something homemade. Especially after he inhaled the dozen cookies in two days despite her insistence at the amount of sugar he was ingesting.

She turned the timer and temperature to where they needed to be and crossed her arms. "Are you going to take the other one out, too?" She asked, brow going up.

He lightly hugged her to him, kissing the top of her head. "If that's what it takes to keep you from hurting yourself again, yes."

"This isn't the first time I've ever burnt my hands like an idiot because I was grabbing hot items from the oven, you know..."

"Well, then it can be the last."

She shook her head with a smile. A hand escaped some of the confines and lightly patted his arm. "Charmer. Let's go get some food while the pie cools." Her smile widened. "I assume you're still hungry?"

He piled another plate fairly high and she took just a little more so he wasn't eating by himself. She usually didn't have that much pasta, let alone that much food at once, and she was going to be too full for dessert if she ate much more.

He wanted more of that amazing sauce, but also wanted that tart, too. He stood with her, insisting again that he take the second pan out of the range and put it on the stove tops to cool now that they were off.

"I'm cutting it up!" She waved him off, not letting him take the knife. She swatted the towel at him with a smirk. "You can wash everything cause I don't want to." She turned and grabbed a towel to hold onto the pan. "Now grab me a few plates and then get the gelato out of the freezer. It should be more than good enough."

He did everything and scooped him a much larger amount than normal. He didn't remember the last time he had anything this close to real Italian ice cream and it was close enough from whatever company she had snagged from the store.

But it was nothing for the tart he was thoroughly enjoying right now.

"I think the ice cream takes away from the rest of it." He announced, eying her all too happy at his praise. "I think it's just as good by itself. I shouldn't have put so much ice cream on this. I can't enjoy it like I want now..."

She stuck the spoon in her mouth to keep the giggles down, but it was hard. "You're exaggerating." She playfully denied, arm reaching across the table to swat at him. He easily avoided, not that she was that serious in the first place though.

He smiled at how much she was enjoying his praise. A hand propped his head up as he took just an apple and some of the sauce and closed his eyes in bliss. "Mmmm...that's good."

A raven brow went up with a small laugh. "Am I going to have to make this for you again, too?"

He grinned. "I won't say no if you offer." He took another bite, amazed at how the crust was slightly crunchy, but not overly done. "You did an astounding job on this. The apples are perfectly soft, the sauce mixes well, the crust is crisp, the -"

"What are you...Alya's mom?" She cracked, face hot. Her shoulders had hunched to her ears, wanting to hear more and yet unsure if she could take the embarrassment at how he was singing his praises for a simple apple tort. Hands covered her face, resisting the urge to kick her legs under the table.

He cleaned off his spoon from the most recent bite and stuck it in her face. "You like it. Admit it."

Her lips pressed together, but it lasted all for a second at the blazing smile on her face. She looked to the spoon she jabbed into the tart and snagged a little ice cream to go with it. "Maaaybeee..." She drawled, giving him a playful look as she stuck the spoon in her mouth.

This was probably the best time he had spent with her yet and it was going to be hard to top this. Going grocery shopping together, holding the basket, helping her with the bags and holding her hand the whole ride home, giving her a cute little name that she absolutely loved, watching her make them dinner, getting riled up with her, and worshiping her cooking skills to her glee. It was all so normal, but it was fun and he was glad for the other instances that allowed this to come about. He hoped that more of them would help other such things crop up in the future...suddenly remembering one thing that he forgot to talk to her about.

But...he still had to thank her like a true gentleman should...


	59. Reaquainting and hesitant fumbling

" _So...this_ _is_ _an_ _odd_ _time_ _to_ _mention_ _this,_ _but_ _a_ _friend_ _of_ _mine_ _wanted_ _to_ _meet_ _you._ _I_ _keep_ _getting too distracted_ _with_ _you_ _being_ _naked_ _in_ _my_ _bed_ _to_ _mention_ _it_ _though."_

" _Don't_ _go_ _using_ _that_ _as_ _an_ _excuse." Silence. "What_ _friend?_ _You_ _didn't_ _do_ _something,_ _did_ _you?_ _Not_ _that_ _I'd_ _totally_ _mind._ _Someone_ _I_ _can_ _make_ _connections_ _with_ _for_ _my_ _business_ _perhaps?"_

" _You_ _wish,_ _although_ _I_ _can_ _always_ _do_ _that_ _at_ _a_ _moment's_ _notice." Pause. "It's_ _not_ _that_ _part_ _of_ _my_ _life._ _This_ _is_ _from_ _my_ _childhood._ _I_ _just...kinda_ _thought_ _that...maybe_ _you_ _wouldn't_ _mind._ _I_ _wanted_ _to_ _connect_ _you_ _with_ _more_ _of_ _my_ _life._ _You...you_ _actually_ _know_ _her."_

" _Her?"_

" _Don't_ _go_ _getting_ _jealous_ _now...even_ _if_ _it's_ _kind_ _of_ _cute_ _on_ _you."_

" _How_ _do_ _I_ _know_ _someone_ _from_ _your_ _childhood?_ _I_ _find_ _that_ _too_ _far_ _of_ _a_ _stretch._ _You're_ _not_ _baiting_ _me_ _with_ _something,_ _are_ _you?"_

" _I_ _swear._ _It's_ _just_ _a_ _really_ _weird_ _coincidence."_

" _So_ _what's_ _her_ _name?"_

" _Sabrina_ _Raincomprix."_

How was the world this small?! In a city the size and population of Paris, how did she know one of Adrien's friends? It seemed totally impossible!

She didn't think he was telling the truth, but there was no way he knew which middle school or high school she went to. Such things of the past had never been mentioned before. She never talked any farther back than Sorbonne, as little as she talked about. She surmised Nino or Alya might have said something to him, but she didn't think they'd bring that up.

This was the weirdest thing that had sent her into a spiral the moment they set out to the appointed location. Each footstep that took her to the bus stop they needed to get to had her feeling very out of place and not really in charge of her own body. She felt highly unsure of actually doing this and a very small percentage of her didn't want to. She didn't want to revisit the past again, especially one she didn't remember fondly.

"It'll be okay." He coaxed for probably the dozenth time since they got ready.

She idly nodded, feeling something of a knot in the pit of her stomach as they got on the bus. She looked out the window, lips pressed together and fingers tapping against the armrest.

He noticed everything she was doing and was worried that this was a bad idea. After urging her to do it, even do it for him at first, she finally agreed, but she didn't seem ecstatic to do so.

The other end had problems too.

" _What_ _if_ _she_ _doesn't_ _like_ _me?"_

" _It'll_ _be_ _fine._ _That_ _was_ _a_ _long_ _time_ _ago."_

" _No_ _one_ _gets_ _over_ _being_ _bullied_ _by_ _Chloe_ _Bourgeois."_

" _You_ _didn't_ _do_ _the_ _bullying._ _She_ _did."_

" _I_ _was_ _her_ _lackey_ _for_ _years,_ _in_ _a_ _lot_ _of_ _those_ _situations._ _I_ _helped_ _Chloe_ _with_ _a_ _lot_ _of_ _stunts_ _she_ _pulled."_

" _From_ _what_ _you've_ _told_ _me,_ _Marinette_ _and_ _you_ _were_ _friends_ _for_ _a_ _while._ _That_ _means_ _she_ _thought_ _highly_ _of_ _you_ _to_ _be_ _your_ _friend._ _Trust_ _me_ _when_ _I_ _say_ _that_ _Marinette_ _has_ _no_ _problems_ _getting_ _away_ _from_ _people_ _she_ _doesn't_ _like._ _I_ _was_ _on_ _that_ _list_ _in_ _the_ _beginning_ _too,_ _but_ _she_ _came_ _around._ _If_ _you_ _two_ _meet_ _up_ _again_ _and_ _just_ _laugh_ _over_ _a_ _few_ _jokes,_ _it_ _might_ _help_ _break_ _the_ _ice."_

Even though Sabrina had been the one to ask to meet, the gravity of actually doing so filled her with as much hesitation during that call as it was Marinette right now. He had a feeling he was going to be doing a lot of mediation between them until they both relaxed.

He was suddenly grateful that they were meeting at a cafe and not a restaurant with access to wine.

He wanted to believe that everything would be okay and once they started talking about either job, they would relax and lose themselves in the atmosphere of two past students who had gone to the same school. He kept telling himself that Marinette wouldn't do like she had done to him when they first met. He wouldn't let her if she tried it anyway.

They got off at the necessary stop and he took her hand with a reassuring smile. She gave a brief smile back, but it didn't last. She felt the slight, triple squeeze to his hold and grinned at the silent meaning in such a thing. Her eyes shyly fell to the concrete for only a moment, finding his soft ones on her when she looked up.

"It'll all be fine." He reiterated again, nodding. "Trust me. I know you can do it." He smirked. "And no running away back to the dorms."

She scowled, but turned away at the look on his face. At having to remind her how stupid she had been to intentionally pass up such a great guy that was absolutely amazing and pretty much worshiped her.

"I won't run away." She grumbled, kicking a stone away as they kept going.

"Promise?"

She huffed at the nudge in his tone. She slightly glared at him when their eyes met again. "Yes, I promise!" She retorted, heaving a sigh. "It's kind of stupid to run away when you'd never let me live it down anyway."

"You're right about that." He chuckled.

She tried to squeeze his hand as hard as she could for teasing her, getting a small yelp from him and air in her fingers. She wanted to swat his arm and gave in after a few steps.

He dodged the second attempt and took her hand back again as they neared the cafe. He could see it around the people in front of them and found a shocking patch of red hair. He quickly looked to her, judging her reaction as some of the crowd in front of them headed off into the buildings ahead.

Her footsteps faltered for just a second, but it was enough for Adrien to keep going and tug her along. The feeling in her gut, adrenaline perhaps, skyrocketed. She tried to take deep breaths, but her hands were shaking and she knew he could feel them by the squeeze he just gave.

There were so many reasons why she didn't need to be doing this right now and they all flashed through her mind.

" _Why_ _did_ _you_ _just_ _throw_ _water_ _on_ _me?!"_

" _Ha!_ _Ha,_ _ha_ _ha!_ _Look,_ _it's_ _a_ _wet_ _mouse!"_

0

" _Very_ _funny_ _you_ _two!"_

" _Just_ _showing_ _you_ _who's_ _boss."_

" _Take_ _this_ _gum_ _off_ _my_ _seat_ _right_ _now!"_

0

" _Madame, please_ _don't_ _pair_ _me_ _up_ _with_ _her!_ _I_ _care_ _about_ _my_ _grades._ _Let_ _me_ _and_ _Sabrina_ _be_ _partners_ _again_ _like_ _usual."_

" _What?!"_

0

" _She_ _totally_ _copied_ _my_ _work,_ _Madame!_ _I_ _demand_ _you_ _give_ _her_ _a_ _zero_ _and_ _make_ _her_ _do_ _it_ _over!"_

" _You_ _copied_ _me!_ _I_ _was_ _the_ _one_ _with_ _the_ _assignment_ _in_ _the_ _first_ _place!"_

" _Please._ _You_ _were_ _just_ _jealous_ _of_ _my_ _work_ _and_ _wanted_ _to_ _get_ _an_ _'A'_ _like_ _I_ _am."_

She harshly swallowed, all of the bad feelings that had been associated with the old Chloe and Sabrina duo coming back to haunt her. Her fingers gripped his when she felt another squeeze, steps slowing a little as she watched Sabrina wind around the few people she had been awaiting amongst as they approached.

"It'll be okay." He murmured. "Just take a few deep breaths." He squeezed her hand one final time before letting go. "And no running away."

She watched him give Sabrina a hug and Sabrina give the customary air kiss near his cheeks. She watched him return it a little more awkwardly, assuming his father never bothered to teach it to him. They exchanged pleasantries and she felt so far removed from the situation, like she was invisible and watching any random couple of friends greet each other. Their history was their own and she wasn't apart of it.

Seeing how close they were felt so strange and she didn't know what to do to include herself. She knew Sabrina from a whole different scenario than Adrien did, although he'd tell her if she just asked. The small history she had with the woman, one she had wiped from her memory almost intentionally so when she entered college, felt like a lifetime ago and that she was invading someone else's life.

There was no point in being here. Those two were more friends than she had ever been with Sabrina and she was okay if the past was never rehashed. Old wounds had already throbbed at him mentioning Sabrina's name, which she would always associate with Chloe. Right now, she felt awkward on a level she had never experienced in any situation she had been in so far. It was not a pleasant feeling.

"Hello, Marinette..."

She jumped and met blue-green eyes framed by reddish hair. It had darkened from the near orange tint she had once called it, turning almost a light brown in the outside light. She stared for a moment, unsure as to what to say when something suddenly came to her. Her mouth dropped open, blinking in shock as the thought took over her brain. "Your glasses are gone..." She mumbled, taking a step closer on instinct.

Sabrina gave a shy smile, nervously putting some of her hair behind an ear. "Y – yea..." She mumbled, looking down. "I got rid of them because -"

Her mouth clamped shut as Chloe's name almost left her lips. That was the last thing she wanted in a moment where she was trying to make nice!

"B – because I got tired of constantly pushing them up my nose!" Sabrina forced out something of a shaky laugh, meeting curious blue that was taking in her more adult appearance. A hand fluffed the back of her hair. "I liked the short hair when I graduated high school though. I decided to keep it for the sake of easy maintenance." She rambled, fingers going through it.

"The bangs look good on you." She blurted out, face heating a little. She looked away, hand rubbing against her arm a little.

They were acting like middle schoolers all over again and it was making him twitchy. He plopped a hand on each of their shoulders, startling them both and getting Marinette's glare his way. "Okay, I want to sit down and get something to drink." He looked to Marinette with a grin. "Help me pick out a tea?"

She stuck her tongue out at him, nose scrunching up. "If you insist on drinking that crap, I suppose I should..." She cracked, lips twitching.

He grabbed their hands and directed them to an empty table outside, not wanting to feel cooped up inside with as cooped up as he felt right now. If they were going to make things this uneasy, at least he could stare at the sky during it.

"Did you have anything to drink yet, Sabrina?" He asked, grabbing a menu from its holder.

"No, Adrien. I didn't want to sit down and start anything until we were all together."

She peeked over the menu at Sabrina, quickly looking away when blue-green looked her way as if knowing she was looking. She had absolutely no appetite for anything right now and if she had coffee, she worried the acid would only make things worse. She didn't want to just have water and act like she didn't want to be here though. She needed something more than that.

He tapped her on the head with his menu, getting a stunned cry, and smiled her way. "Why don't we get a pot and share it?" He suggested, having seen the look she was adopting. That hesitant, slightly uncertain look as she stared at items that were in half of Paris's cafes already. It shouldn't take this long to find something to drink, even if he did offer to pay.

"You want me to drink scraps?" She retorted, giving him a dry look.

He leaned over, lips twitching. "Yes, I want you to drink crappy tea with me." He replied in Mandarin.

Her ears perked up to the change, the different language offsetting her a little. It pulled her from the strange funk that she was trudging through and brought a little comfort in its familiarity. She felt a little more apart of things, apart of him and his life. He purposely switched languages just for her sake and her lips tilted.

"I forget that you had to learn Chinese." Sabrina broke in.

They looked over and she met Sabrina's eyes. "It's actually called Mandarin." She blurted out, quickly shoving the menu in front of her face lest she say something else she didn't want to create an argument over.

He smiled and attempted to cover up her mistake, to lighten it. "Yea, I had to learn Chinese. Mandarin is the main country's language, even if there are way too many dialects for me to keep up." He sighed dramatically, propping his chin up as he remembered one time he tried to be brave as a teenager. "I may have survived the main area of where father and I were loitering in, but taking that one stroll I did that one day found me totally lost and I didn't get anything I heard."

Her menu instantly hit the table in curiosity. "Where were you?"

His lips pursed with a thoughtful hum. "Yangpu district? No...maybe Hongkou? It was right near the ocean in Shanghai is all I can remember. I can only recall looking at the ocean just before we made to touch down at the airport and how close it was. We went to a Shanghai exhibition center."

Sabrina giggled a little as she put the menu down as well. "I keep forgetting that you've been way more places than I can ever afford. How many times does that make it to that part of the world?"

He lightly rubbed his chin, hands soon moving to couch off a finger as he thought out loud. "There was the one show in Beijing, one in Hong Kong, the Shanghai photo exhibit of one of the catalogs, a stop over in Tokyo and Osaka, and then Seoul one later year..."

Her mouth refused to go back to its closed position as she kept listening to his extensive travels to Asia. She was suddenly reminded of just whom she was dating and looked back to the menu as she remembered he was rich and world famous in so many ways that she wouldn't be able to attain...but hopefully not for only a few more years.

She was easy to read and he threw an arm around her shoulders. "I like to keep my skills up practicing with her though. It's fun and I get to say anything I want to her because it's a pretty good assumption that no one knows what we're talking about."

A red brow went up. "I'm going to stop you right there before you get into any details." Sabrina wryly butt in with a grin. The trio looked over when a waiter came up, pad in hand and pencil ready to take orders.

She quickly looked to the tea listing, suddenly finding it not as bad as she was assuming. She spied a look his way, eyes thoughtfully narrowed as he waited for her decision while Sabrina ordered a decaf. "Did you pick this place on purpose?"

He grinned and sat back in his chair, putting the menu down and letting her pick. "They have nice tetsubin pots." He cracked, chuckling at her shocked and confused look.

She shook herself when all eyes went to her and found the place housed a gunpowder tea and ordered a whole pot, actually looking forward to testing it out.

There was nothing else to do while they waited for their order to show up except talk. She fidgeted with her fingers, purposely put under the table, as she waited for something useful to cross her mind that didn't make her put her foot in her mouth.

"I want to apologize, Marinette."

Blue eyes shot up and met blue-green. She blinked, head tilting. A raven brow went up.

Sabrina's mouth opened and closed a few times, eyes dropping to the finger she was tracing random circles with on the glass tabletop. "I...I...asked Adrien to bring you here. I'm sorry if it brings back bad memories for you. I can see how uncomfortable you are." Her lips pressed together and the habitual need, a nervous fidget, to push her glasses up brought a finger to her nose. Sabrina cleared her throat, hand slowly dropping to her lap. "I hope you're not mad at him."

She quickly looked over when a hand suddenly squeezed hers. She stared at Adrien's nod, his comforting smile, his kind eyes. She tried to collect herself quickly and looked back to find Sabrina meeting her gaze. Shy, uncertain, hopeful, friendly.

Years of being the butt of jokes and pranks from these two in middle school and part of high school wasn't something she could forgive, let alone forget. The humiliation in class, on the atrium grounds, on the front steps just trying to get to class on time. Middle school had created the brick base that had only been shaken by time and more buried than it was dismantled.

The one time in middle school that they had been clumsy friends followed in the wake of the bad memories. The few times they had hung out in her room, talking about fashion and letting Sabrina try on some of her creations, came from the sands of time. The breakdown in late high school years flowed right after their middle school friendship break-up. The tears Sabrina showed her, the screams of frustration at how Chloe had treated her that day. They had both gained a sense of understanding between them in that one moment, holding each other as past victims of being teased for just being who they were. She had gained a chunk of compassion and understanding in that moment and actually forgave Sabrina of a few things.

Sabrina never forgot it either from the looks of it.

She looked from Sabrina to Adrien and back, eyes finally resting on the shining surface in the sunlight. "I'm...not mad at him..." She mumbled, using the chair for more support than she could give herself. "I'm not mad at you..."

Sabrina took in the serious look, the downcast eyes, the quiet words. The truth in that final statement, the solidarity, had her heart in her throat.

Sabrina reached across the shining glass and Adrien's hand, which had been tightly holding hers to give her courage and support, let go. She looked his way under her bangs, seeing him nod, before her now empty hand slowly reached across and lightly clasped Sabrina's.

"Goodness..." Sabrina quickly murmured, free hand wiping her eyes as best she could around her mascara. "What's wrong with me today?"

Her lips twitched, feeling her own eyes misty. She gave a huge exhale and squeezed Sabrina's hand a little, getting one in return.

Sabrina quickly wiped her eyes and took a few deep breaths for composure, face almost matching her hair. She gave a blinding smile across the table, letting go when their drinks showed up. "What did you get?" She asked, leaning toward the metal pot. "It's beautiful drink-ware."

He turned the teacup around, admiring the artwork that he knew had been flown in from Asia. The matching pot was heavy, the coaster it sat on also metal. He looked to Marinette, hand waving for her to take the first pour. "After you, My Lady."

Her face flamed when she felt Sabrina's curious, amused eyes on her. She lightly kicked him under the table, hotter than the sun shining on her head, and went for the handle. "I got us s – some green t – tea..." She mumbled, pouring the steaming liquid into her cup. She glowered at him as he pushed his to her, but filled his as well.

"May I try some?"

There was no extra glass and she wasn't going to have those two share a cup, so she pushed hers forward as the only other alternative. She jumped when Sabrina tried to pick it up and snatched her fingers back when they were slightly burnt. "You need to hold it like this." She rushed, sitting forward in her chair. She grasped Sabrina's hands as if the last few minutes didn't exist and showed her how to cradle the cup without burning herself. "And when you sip it, bring in air from your mouth so you cool it down and it doesn't burn your tongue."

Sabrina tried, but didn't do as she knew it was. She reached over and took Adrien's cup from his hands, cradling it as she had Sabrina do, and took a loud slurp.

"That's how." She said with a smile, grinning when he snatched his cup back with a slight glower.

Sabrina handed the cup back and went for her coffee. "It's delicious." The three went for their drinks for a second before she felt she needed to know the answer to the burning question in her head. "So, how did you two meet?"

She spit half of the liquid across the table, coughing on the rest of it. She covered her face as Adrien clapped her on the back for a few seconds, trying to get her cheeks to cool down.

Why did she keep doing that to people?!

She sent pitying eyes his way, still clearing her throat. She didn't care if Sabrina could see the look in her eyes; she hoped it was misconstrued for her current trouble.

"We go to the same school." He easily side-stepped. He rubbed her back, face heating a little and sipped his tea to hide it. "She's actually taking the same major I will after this one is over."

Sabrina's nose wrinkled. "That sounds delightful." She cracked.

He snorted. "Trust me, I'm not looking forward to it." Green took a sideways glance her way. "I'm just hoping that the next few years are a little more entertaining than these have been."

She didn't know what he meant by that, but if he was subtly referring to all that had happened to them up until now, she wanted to put her elbow into his side. She grabbed a napkin and wiped the table up, feeling totally mortified, even if Sabrina gracefully ignored the stumble.

"The bigger question is, how did I end up part of this whole, small world bit?" She wondered, looking between them. "You and I are going out," Her finger flicked in between her and Adrien, "you and I went to school together or a long time..." it switched to her and Sabrina, "but you two know each other from where? You said she was your childhood friend..."

Sabrina smiled. "It is kind of strange, isn't it? It's almost fateful if you consider the whole thing." She took a drink of coffee, thinking back through the gap of time. "I met Adrien because of Chloe. I met Chloe in middle school and...well, I still don't know how I became friends with her, let alone stayed friends with her this long."

"I don't think anyone does..." He sighed.

That collective sigh spoke more than she could know, but yet was all too aware of. They had dealt with a person for some reason or another, just as she had, but found redeeming qualities somewhere inside that kept them coming back.

She also knew what that feeling was like.

She listened to the detailed view Adrien gave of how he met Chloe when they did modeling together as kids. She had come into his father's notice from other lines and and other press photos, and his father had asked Chloe's father to help him model his girl's line. She had been called back a few years later until Gabriel stopped making kid's clothing and switched to a more adult line...basically keeping in line with his own growing years.

"It was good pub on both sides." He recanted, shaking his head at what he could barely remember. "Her dad was the mayor of Paris for a few years and the magazines ate it up. Plenty of good business and her dad got an interview, which he utilized to get his hotel business."

The next thirty minutes were spent somehow piecing together a tornado that was Chloe Bourgeois in their lives. Sabrina thankfully stopped when they got to middle school...but it DID present a very interesting tidbit.

"You almost went to my school?!"

"No need to shout." He mumbled, feeling eyes of other Parisians. "'Almost' is the key word. I didn't manage to get up the steps before Natalie found out."

"Chloe was so depressed when she heard that." Sabrina mused, smiling around her coffee.

He grinned and refilled his cup. "I managed to sneak out, but she knew what I was going to do and they found me heading up the stairs when the bell rang."

She tried to remember back to the first day of school, but it was hard. "All I can remember, aside the gum incident, was hearing your name because Chloe kept going on about it. I had absolutely no idea who you were."

He watched her fiddle with the cup, lips pressing together as if she were trying to keep herself from saying anything else. A brow went up and he leaned over the armrest to her chair. "And...?" He drawled, grinning.

"A – and...as far as I remember...I th – think that...it...it might have...h – helped to get familiar w – with...your father's brand..."

"And you" was what he figured she was keeping quiet on. A soft smile graced his face as he directed hers to his. He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead, catching her eyes under her bangs. "Fate is a funny thing, huh?" He murmured.

She smiled. "Who knew what could have happened if you actually managed to make it up those steps?"

Sabrina propped her head up, enjoying the sweet scene. "Indeed. You two could have become friends and maybe something else much sooner."

She jumped away, forgetting where she was and who she was with other than Adrien. The phrase threw her back over a year, where all the troubles had been until the clouds were shoved away. To when she had to trudge through the rain for just a little more before finding the sunshine. Had Adrien shown up much sooner, she might have gone out with him in high school instead of Nathaniel in college. Her life may have ended up entirely different.

Sabrina saw the rapid change and tried to think of anything to fix Marinette's mood. They had created enough sadness for a lifetime and she didn't want to see her hopefully soon-to-be friend sad. "So...I believe I owe you an order for the distress I caused."

She looked up, brows furrowed in confusion. "Huh?"

Sabrina smiled and leaned over the arms resting on the table. "I told Adrien that if you yelled at him then I'd compensate you for your time by order a few hundred Euro in something." Her smile widened. "It's been a while since I've seen any new spots in my closet. How about it? I'm looking for something 'lucky' for the summer."

The fact that Sabrina remembered the one or two outfits she had made over five years ago touched her. She loved all the creations she sewed together and always hoped, even unconsciously, that they'd go to good homes and be worn until they fell apart.

Blue eyes looked to the table, a happy smile on her face. "I think I can manage a little something..." She murmured, fingering the now cold cup.

"Excellent. I believe we should exchange phone numbers so I can get measurements and we can go over color schemes. I have a few ideas that I want to run by you. You know I always valued your fashion advice the most."

She met blue-green eyes and stared in silence. Sabrina looked utterly delighted at the thought of getting together again, work or not. She didn't have it in her to turn such a look away and nodded, going for the phone in her purse. "Yea...I say we do that sometime soon..." She inputted Sabrina's number in her phone, saving the contact under her business folder for now. "It...sounds like a good idea."

He smiled and poured the rest of the tea in both their cups. He was glad things had taken a turn for the better, that the past was ironed out and utilized. Despite how scared those two were, the little history they had together was enough of a bond that they could grasp at and move forward from there. He sat back in silence, content to listen to them hash out fabric styles and Marinette ask questions in order to get the idea out of Sabrina's head so she could see it in her own.

He knew things would turn out alright. Marinette had gained something aside from another customer and he was glad. It made him feel even better to know that, perhaps sometime soon, the three of them could meet on much better terms from the beginning and have a chat like this in the future.


	60. Making the actual design

The first week of May was done and finals started in a week, continuing a few days past the middle of the month. All midterms were done and catch-up courses, if any, taken care of. It was mainly a time of review and study to finish out her second year.

Not that she was considering such a thing.

Never could finals have been timed more poorly than knowing Adrien's birthday was the twenty-fifth! The second she found that out, having forgotten to ask him and let that initial mention slip her mind, she started worrying about what to get him. His Noel gift was special, but it had taken her looking through an entire website to figure out that puzzle. After seeing only a piece of his wardrobe, hearing how much he had left at the mansion, she knew she was going to have to think long and hard about trying to top herself from the last major holiday.

She didn't want to tell him, but she knew if she didn't, her fretting was going to alert him anyway. Asking him what he wanted for his birthday was no fun though because then the surprise was gone! She wanted to watch his face light up like it did on Noel with the shawl-scarf. She wanted to watch him fawn all over his birthday present and be in awe over something he didn't have that she knew would suit him well.

Requesting to look through his closet at his old home was too suspicious, but he would know what she was getting at if she started asking a million questions anyway. He could assume that she was making him something related to her skills, but knowing that she made so much would keep him guessing.

Except she had to keep him out of her room and away from her while she made it.

Studying was pointless until she figured out what she could make him. She tried, really she did, but it just wasn't happening. She was a nervous mess as her mind ran through all of the items she sewed which she could tweak to men's fashion, but scratched so many off the list when she knew he already owned something of that type.

The weather was getting warmer and it was almost reaching twenty degrees. She wanted something he could wear in as many seasons as possible, all of them if she was smart, so he could enjoy the mystery item all he wanted. Summer might not be ideal for the shawl-scarf, but every other one was fine. Most of the things she made could be worn often so that they weren't forgotten in a closet somewhere.

She wanted to start pacing. Only actual, mundane physical activity like pacing would help her think and she was highly tempted to, but she wasn't about to get off the warm embrace she was snuggled in at this second.

"What are you thinking of?"

She jerked and looked his way with wide eyes. "What?"

"Not only have you been quiet pretty the whole time I got done ravaging you, but you're going to wear your teeth out if you keep grinding them like that." He smiled and let his fingers trail up her hip. "Do I need to kiss you to keep you from damaging anything?"

She moved and sat on his lap, eyes roaming the bare skin of his chest and arms in thought. "Don't move." She ordered, fingernail still scratching her lower lip.

He stared at everything he just got done touching, though he wondered if she was doing this on purpose or not. "That's a tall order, my lady." His hands twitched and his nails ran over her thighs. "You're quite taxing my patience sitting on me like that."

She was only half concerned with him twitching under her thighs. As much as it was nice to feel, she needed to get this figured out! She leaned closer to him, smiling a little, though her mind was still racing with ideas. "You'll just have to suck it up then. I need you to lay like this while I figure this out."

A brow went up. "Only as long as you don't mind me touching you like this." He replied, fingers still trailing up and down her legs. "I might not hold out for long, so you'll have to do whatever it is you need to do before I roll over on top of you."

She reached down and grasped on of his wrists, pulling a lax arm up as she critically eyed the length and muscle tone. "I don't promise to be quick about this. This has been bugging me for days now."

He looked at her in confusion, the strange issue concerning him a little. "What has?"

"Your birthday present."

His hand went back to the bed, the other one going up. He smiled at her thoughtfulness, connecting every piece he saw when they tried to study. "You don't need to worry so much, my lady. Whatever you get me will be fine."

"That's what worries me." She mumbled, eyes narrowing a little. "Huh...that's odd." She suddenly held both of his wrists straight, head ducking to see the tips of his fingers.

"What is?"

"One of your arms is just a tiny bit longer than the other." Eyes full of years of experience in taking measurements and spotting someone's size in a heartbeat looked at both arms. "You're right-handed and it shows. Huh...that's interesting. I'll have to adjust for it then."

His hands gravitated back to her knees, thumbs lightly going her thighs. "The things you find out about me." He mused, smiling as he watched her eyes take in his torso.

"And it won't be forgotten, trust me." She idly mumbled, mentally tallying every curve of muscle and slope of his shoulder. She took it all in not in a sexual way, but mapped him out in her mind. It was hard to keep her full attention on her work though with the way his thumbs kept sending tingles up her legs. She mentally shook herself and berated herself to concentrate, hoping that this act would help her with what she needed.

Course, this act was also going to get her laid again, unintentionally so...

She could only figure on creating some kind of top when he did as promised and rolled over, pressing against her with nothing to keep them apart and it was the last thing she could contemplate for his birthday before he wiped it from her mind.

01010

Fingers scrolled past clothing site after clothing sight, eyes on her phone late one night after trying to use him to envision what she wanted to put together. She requested the night to herself, needing to borrow his laptop, but not wanting the search history left up for him to browse later. She denied his whining that she could look in his room and he could just hold her, promising not to look, but she felt that if she didn't get this done now, not only would she flunk all of her finals, but she wasn't going to get this sewn in time.

She often had other, self-made designers critiquing or praising her work. She kept in contact with some of them, asking questions as to how they did a certain design she liked, but promising not to recreate it per their request. The small cache of people that used each other for idea boards was nice because they often came out with something that they couldn't pull out of their own heads without experienced help.

She had often done this with Nathaniel, but he wasn't here and she forced him from her mind in order to focus on the one man she was trying so hard for right now.

After maybe an hour of typing in random articles of clothing, she oddly enough found something resembling inspiration on a post apocalyptic clothing search page.

She wanted a long-sleeved shirt, but not too thick that he would get hot if he wore it right now...which she bet he might do after all the work he knew she was putting in. She looked to all of the articles, finding most of them purposely cut up to resemble the era. There were a lot of sharp edges and items that resembled animal pelts stitched together. After a lot of scrolling, she stopped on a few tops for men and women, the wheels churning to help to formulate whatever it was she was looking for.

She didn't want to make such odd angles because she didn't think he'd wear that around Paris...not to mention it wasn't fully her style. If he decided to wear that to any event concerning his father, someone was going to ask questions. The top had to be normal enough that someone would compliment how he looked and leave it at that. They would assume he found it somewhere and decided to wear it that day. Since he had been to so many countries and gone through so many catwalks, no one would bat an eye so long as she made the cuts basic.

But...she wanted something of a twist to it.

She liked the idea of the fabric having a hook at the thumb and going to his knuckles. She mentally pictured that over his hands and liked it. It would draw attention to them, which she thought were attractive in their own way. He had fairly large hands and long fingers; it would belay the size and somewhat hide the power they possessed.

Such a creative piece was more her style and if he wore this around her, she would be happy enough. After deciding on that, knowing the stitching around the thumb was going to be hell, she moved on to finalize another section.

A long, knit jacket with gaping holes in the sleeves gave her one of the biggest inspirations that she had known and she hurried to where she stashed her sketchpad. She clicked the pencil a few times, cell phone with the two ideas she had found available to look at in a second's need, and stared at the dreaded, white page.

"Thumb opening at the end...fabric to the knuckles and to the waist...long-sleeve with a break at the biceps...strips to hold everything together..." The eraser tapped against the blank part of the pad as she stopped at the neck.

A turtleneck top would be too hot, but she didn't want a plain crew neck style. Drawing a U-shape didn't look right, so she erased it and went to her phone. She pulled up the initial search page she had found the two links from and scrolled back to the top.

It was hard to find something to work with because all of the models' clothing consisted of strange designs, coats, or cowls. The tops that she pulled inspiration from with the arm design she was working on showed nothing good for a neckline to work with and it frustrated her that she was so close to finishing this!

She stared at the drawing for a while, notating that she didn't want any extensive stitching or bunched fabric at the chest. It would be smooth and snug to show off his muscles, as the gap at his biceps would also do. The torso would be simple so that the main design point would be his arms. The neckline could be somewhat interesting, but not overly done as to draw attention away from the main selling point.

She pulled up a blank search engine and typed in "types of necklines for shirts", eyes avidly taking in all of the images that she could for ideas. It was easier to deduce what she didn't want, than finding something that struck her as useful. There was very little on the search results that she could use and make it look good.

She thought to the angle of his jawline and width of his chin. She pulled up Gabriel's page and looked for any light shirt that he had which looked good as reference material. She hunted through pages of spring and fall wear, figuring a V-style might be best. His chin was slightly narrow, the arch at the corner of his jaw helping to create the V-shape of the lower half of his face.

If she made the deep V-cut, it would accentuate the length of his neck. She noted that he had a few sets of clothes with such a design and they all looked good on him. It made the neck muscles stand out, the barest hint of his pectorals showing with some, and she found that attractive.

She put both phone and sketchpad at her legs and brought hands to her collarbone. "Maybe...about here...naw...here?" She crossed both wrists against her collarbone and tried to look at her wrists, wondering how much she wanted to show. Fingers visualized the pattern and came to a stop over her ribcage and she wondered how deep she should make the "V".

She heaved a sigh and plopped back on her bed, head hurting a little. "Damn it, I'm going to need him as a final reference point." She grumbled, throwing an arm over dry, tired eyes.

She sat up after a second, hand reaching to the edge of her bed as she snagged a piece of jerky from a bag she "borrowed" from his room. He didn't care and she used it as fuel for her brain. She idly chewed on a piece as she did a search for long-sleeve, V-cut shirts for men to get more ideas to utilize. They were all basic, long-sleeves, but there were enough good photos of the models with similar jawlines to help cement that last detail. Some of the cuts were too deep and she knew that the last bit was to get out her measuring tape and tell him to stand still.

Her lips twitched, hand going for the jerky again. He had so much practice, that was perhaps the easiest part.

Unease and nitpicking ate at the design she finished sketching. Teeth bit her lip as she prayed he liked it. It was hard to imagine the final design on him until he actually wore it and such a worry was the same no matter what she made. She always fretted that whatever she made wouldn't work, though this was a different case because she knew whom it was going to. This customer was very special to her and she wanted to make him look like the professional model he was. He would no doubt wear the item proudly and as often as he could get away with, and she wanted to make her own work even better because he was famous...though that was on the back burner to making sure he was happy with this.

She closed down all of the links and stood, rubbing her aching backside that she had been sitting on for perhaps half an hour. She did a few squats to get the soreness out and let her mind wander to the final product, arms slowly crossing. A finger tapped against an arm as she tried to picture him in it, suddenly knowing she needed to take in consideration the length and color of his hair. It had to match any style he wanted to put it in, in whatever his father's stylists put it in.

Legs started taking her across the short space, mind whirling and hardly paying attention to the hole she was wearing into the rug. It would be out there considering she didn't figure he owned anything like it, though she hadn't seen the rest of his attire at the mansion.

A hand came up as she mentally mapped out the length of the gaps in the sleeves, needing the right space. The fact that the fabric would lock at his hands made it hard to get the sleeves tight enough so it didn't discomfort him. The "strings" of fabric that would connect the top and bottom part of the sleeve had to be wide enough to withstand the movement and pulling, but loose enough to not pull on his skin. But, not too loose that they snagged on something he walked by and tear. They also had to withstand the washer and dryer.

She plopped down in bed and snatched her sketchpad again, writing down all of the considerations for the final design. Everything was highly important and would dictate how much fabric to buy, which type of stitch to use. She had a feeling she was going to need some heavy thread to make sure nothing came undone and also needed to figure out what stitch pattern she wanted to use as decoration. Since she wasn't going with a pattern, the stitching was bound to stand out more and she needed to think of the right one to go with the look.

When she looked to her phone upon hearing it buzz, she found the time almost ten thirty. She flopped back onto the pillow with a groan, the pad covering her face. Her eyes closed on their own at the late hour and the sense of exhaustion that tugged on the back of her head, which made it ache just a little. There were still a few more things she needed to do before she finished up for the evening!

Remembering she had a text, already surmising whom it was from, she sat up and grabbed the device.

 _Get_ _some_ _sleep, my lady._

Her lips twitched. She tossed the pad on her bed, thumbs going for the keyboard.

 _Watching_ _me_ _again,_ _Monsieur?_

 _Just_ _you_ _pacing._ _Working_ _hard_ _over_ _there?_ _Please_ _don't_ _exhaust_ _yourself_ _for_ _my_ _benefit._ _Please_ _don't_ _make_ _that_ _big_ _a_ _deal_ _out_ _of_ _it_ _if_ _you're_ _staying_ _up_ _till_ _midnight_ _again._ _We_ _have_ _finals_ _soon_ _and_ _I_ _don't_ _want_ _you_ _flunking_ _any_ _of_ _them_ _because_ _of_ _me._

She smiled at the concern, touched that he was going to downplay what she knew he was looking forward to. She shuffled back onto the pillow, elbows keeping the phone propped up.

 _I_ _got_ _a_ _lot_ _done_ _tonight,_ _but_ _there_ _are_ _still_ _a_ _few_ _things_ _that_ _I_ _need_ _your_ _help_ _with_ _before_ _I_ _finish_ _what_ _I'm_ _thinking_ _of._ _I'm_ _still_ _not_ _even_ _sure_ _that_ _I_ _want_ _to_ _do_ _it_ _yet_ _because_ _I_ _don't_ _know_ _if_ _it's_ _your_ _style...though_ _I_ _think_ _it's_ _interesting._

 _Your_ _fashion_ _sense_ _is_ _always_ _amazing, my lady,_ _and_ _I'll_ _be_ _astonished_ _with_ _whatever_ _it_ _is_ _you_ _make._ _Any_ _of_ _your_ _style_ _that_ _I've_ _seen_ _online_ _is_ _detailed,_ _interesting,_ _and_ _unique._

She smiled, looking away with a shake of her head. "Charmer..." Her phone buzzed again she looked back to it.

 _If_ _you_ _need_ _me_ _for_ _whatever_ _it_ _is_ _you're_ _working_ _on,_ _feel_ _free_ _to_ _come_ _over_ _and_ _do_ _what_ _you_ _need_ _to._ _I'll_ _try_ _to help as_ _much_ _as_ _I_ _can_ _so_ _you_ _can_ _clear_ _your_ _head_ _tonight_ _and_ _focus_ _on_ _studying_ _tomorrow._ _I_ _won't_ _do_ _anything_ _inappropriate_ _if_ _you_ _want_ _to_ _crash_ _over_ _here._

He couldn't possibly get anymore chivalrous and giving! It was late and he needed sleep as much as she did, but if he could give her another thirty minutes of time, she could get a lot of information by simply taking his measurements and know just how much fabric to buy and how long to make the connecting straps. That would help immensely with stitching and sleeve widths.

 _If_ _you_ _don't_ _mind,_ _I'd_ _seriously_ _appreciate_ _it._

 _I'll_ _leave_ _my_ _door_ _unlocked._

She sat up after reading those final words, to the invite that spoke loud and clear. She hopped off the bed, grabbing the jerky and sticking a piece in her mouth as she went for her measuring tape and shoes. She threw the flimsy tape around her neck and hurried down the hall, trying not to take the stairs too quickly.

When she got to his door, she didn't bother knocking and threw it open. There was no cry of surprise, no big question about who was suddenly coming into his room. He expected her and it was nice to think about.

"That was fast." He greeted, scooting his desk chair back. He closed the laptop screen and stood. "What do you need me to do?"

She tossed the bag of jerky on the desk and pulled the tape off her neck. "First off, take off your shirt."

If he didn't see her fumbling with the measuring tape, one he had seen way too many times, he would have thought she wanted something else from him. Hands went to the hem of his top, tossing it on the bed and leaving him in just a pair of pants. "Living mannequin, huh?" He joked, arms spreading wide as he usually did.

She swallowed the meat she had been chewing upon arrival and forced her mind to change gears at seeing that much delectable skin in front of her. With a quick shake of her head, ignoring his grin, she circled his torso a few times before starting in on his arms. She stopped after a few numbers got confused, and went for his desk. "I'm going to borrow your phone real quick." She announced, pulling up his text history to her. She kept it with her and dictated into a text box the numbers she got at which point of his arm. She sent both right and left arm measurements to her phone for later and moved to the width of his chest.

If he wasn't so concerned at how hard she was working, and how much she was stressing herself over this, he would have wrapped her up and pinned her against his chest with as close as she was. Her breath fanned his skin and it was nice, but he forced himself to concentrate for her sake so she could get some peace of mind over this...and sleep.

It was touching to see how hard she was working on such a simple present and he was flattered at how detailed she was. He would have been happy with another home-cooked meal, but she was going so much farther out and doing more than he expected. He listened to her speak into his phone with over half a dozen numbers and the location she took them at. She must have sent almost two dozen to herself via text and he mentally congratulated her on the quick thinking.

It was after eleven, but she needed just a few things more. "Okay, I got all the numbers I needed." She sent the last text over and put his phone back on the desk. She tossed the measuring tape next to his laptop and headed for his closet. "I need you to put on a few of these clothes for me real quick." She pulled out some cotton, long-sleeved shirts, finding a few with a V-cut and passed them over. "I need to double-check my idea and try to picture it on you."

The amount of expertise and seriousness that she exuded was off-setting from how they always acted. She was expecting to watch him put his clothes on and take them off without any sexual meaning in it what-so-ever.

It was easy to pretend he was on the catwalk or in front of his photographer with the way she was eying him and moved his shirt the way she wanted it. His girlfriend disappeared to be replaced with a professional designer who had been making clothes for almost ten years and it changed his thinking of her in a new way.

He kind of liked it actually.

He tried on half a dozen shirts, long and short-sleeved. She got to see what his arms looked like in them all and while she was still kind of unsure as to the sleeve design, she knew he would look good in it. The break in the sleeves would draw the eyes to the skin behind the cloth and show off his muscles like the t-shirts did. His arms were long enough that the change in normal style wouldn't make them look short. The very fact that his arms were as long as they were was one of the selling points actually.

She circled him in the last shirt he had on, tugging fabric straight at the waist and looking at how it hugged his hips. She tucked the cotton into his jeans, jumping from her stupor when his hands suddenly clamped down on her wrists.

"I suggest that if you want to get to sleep at a reasonable hour, you'll stop playing with my crotch area." He cracked, taking a deep breath to calm down the effects she had created.

She stepped back at how he strained against the fabric already, clearing her throat and nodding. "That wasn't my intent..." She mumbled, unable to look at him as she realized how much she had been ogling him. It wasn't Adrien Agreste she had been looking at, but a model torso she was going to put her creation on. She had forgotten that touching him in certain ways would do more to him than his sewing crew would.

"It's okay. I know that's not what you were trying to do." He took a few deep breaths to calm down, letting the harsh tugs of sleep weigh on him and help. "Is there anything else you want to see on me?"

She mentally slapped herself as she took that innocent question to a dirty level and forced herself to focus. She plopped down on his bed when the need to sleep suddenly dropped on her like a sack of bricks and a hand covered her face. "Um...for now, I think I have the major points. The rest is picking out fabric and colors."

"I have plenty of greens and blues already." He replied, thoughtfully looking to his open closet. His lips scrunched up as he thought to all of the colors he wore every season. "Mix between some pastels in the spring and darker ones for the fall." A hand ran over his face as he tried to keep tiredness at bay. "Just no orange. I admit that it looks horrible on me. No pink either. I wore that one year and it didn't match my skin tone."

It was surreal to sit there talking color palettes with him and it was the first time she had done so, but her mind was too tired to think past business and she could only function on the notes he was giving her.

She stared at him and the colors she could see from his closet. Many of them went with his eye color or hair color. She looked back to the his skin and noted the slight pink undertones that mixed with the barest degree of a tan he had. It almost gave him off a mild yellow tint, but she wondered if that was just the lighting.

She stood and held a bare arm up to hers to compare their skin. "No yellows..." She mumbled, narrowing down the palette. "No greens, blues, oranges, or pink. So you need either a maroon red, medium gray tone, dark brown... White? Ehhh, white would be kind of weird with the design..."

She stood back and stared at him, trying to envision the colors and style. Definitely no white because it wouldn't be enough contrast with his skin. The gray might fall flat with the sleeves, though the red might work. Even if he got more sun as the days got longer, the color difference would be shocking enough to draw attention to his arms and still draw the eye to its deep red. The onlooker would keep going back and forth without getting stuck on one part for too long. She finally nodded. "Yea...maroon red it is." She mumbled, mostly to herself.

He smiled and went to put the shirts back. "I can handle that. I've worn a few sweaters with that and they make my hair more blond."

She fingered her lower lip, trying to think of any more contingencies as he worked. "I'm not going for a Noel color scheme with your eyes here though... There's something of a yellow tinge to your skin that it'd still work with. The pink tones, too." Her mind started mixing sleep and her thoughts, and she started pacing his room without knowing what she was doing.

He listened to her mumble about whatever pattern she was going to work with and exactly where she was going to find fabric in time. She rambled on as to how or where she was going to find the time for what she was thinking of and exactly when she could get to the nearest store to claw through every bolt of cloth in their possession.

She walked right into his chest without even seeing he was there until her nose collided with cotton. She gave a startled cry and steadied herself as she stumbled backward, hand rubbing her nose. "What are you doing?" She retorted.

He laid a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. It's almost midnight and we need to study for finals tomorrow. It sounds like you've got a lot of work done and that's good. You need to spend more time focusing on your books and the rest of the time on the final design." His hand swept to his bed, the covers mussed from when she sat on them. "Come on...let's just go to sleep together."

She wasn't done thinking, but she was way past done with being able to use her head. It felt like there was sand in her eyes and closing them made it much harder to open them again. Her stomach felt all turned around from the meat at such a late hour and with all the fretting she had done. It wouldn't take long for her to pass out as it was, which was good because she had review early in the morning.

The thought of having to attend class at such an early hour got a groan from her, but an acquiescing nod. She took a pair of clothes before looking at them and realized he was handing her some of the pajamas she had put in his closet for times like these. "Thanks." She mumbled, taking her shirt off.

He sat down with much more force than he intended and ran a hand over his face. He was too tired to admire her form as she changed, giving her a bit of privacy while he focused on pulling the covers back.

She gave a groan of absolute pleasure at the heavenly feel of his mattress. Her legs hurt from sitting on them too long and she almost passed out the second she found the crook she had created in his shoulder.

He kissed what he could of the top of her head. "Goodnight, my lady." He murmured, eyes sliding closed by themselves.

"G...night..." She mumbled, not hearing anything else.

 _Website_ _inspiration:_ _pinterest com/explore/apocalyptic-fashion/?lp=true_

 _Present_ _inspiration_ _1:_ _pinterest com/pin/503699539548546412/_

 _Present_ _inspiration_ _2:_ _pinterest com/pin/341851427944272860/_

 _Present_ _inspiration_ _3:_ _pinterest com/pin/532972937123522019/_


	61. Not the best birthday present

Finals were going on and they were cake. He hadn't needed to study for them as much as he did, let alone worry about his grades. Such extensive knowledge that he had been given by being out in the company, instruction from Natalie, and even a little from his father on the business aspects had prepared him years ago. He mainly went back through his old lessons to spend time with her while she focused on her own.

The majority of that time was mainly to reassure her that she'd do fine, that she had as much knowledge as he did in the area they were trying to get their degrees in and she could utilize that to her advantage on the questions wherever or however she could. They were always needless comforts because whenever they met up after the assigned tests were done for that day, she always boasted about how easy they were.

The end of the second year didn't mean much, mostly because he had one more to go. If this was the last year of his first grad degree, he might celebrate more...except he was going to have to enroll in her program as soon as the first one was over. There was no real reason to cheer until another three years were up, but so long as he was still with her at that time, he didn't care what happened during class.

It was hard to focus on school as it was, but whenever Marinette kept talking about the birthday party she wanted to throw him, probably at her parent's house, it was especially hard. He hadn't had the luxury of being thrown such an event in his honor since his time in Milan and she was doing a really good job at painting a picture of what it would look like. He was getting excited as she talked about wanting splurge on grocery items and make him and his guests food and, of course, a huge cake for them all to enjoy.

"Do you think streamers are too over the top?" She asked, thoughtful eyes on her phone. A finger scrolled past something he couldn't see, lips bunched up in concentration.

He smiled and leaned over the arms resting on the table in the nearby cafe they were frequenting again. "You'd be paying for it. Hanging everything up. Probably cleaning it up, too. Your call."

The thoughtful look turned to a less-than-enjoyed one at all the details she wasn't fully considering. "Hmm...maybe just a bunch of balloons." She smirked. "Then I can whack you with one later. Maybe start a balloon fight for fun. That'd be great. I can imagine Alya and Nino going at it as bad as we would."

He propped his head up, already imagining how fun the chaos would be. "I say we gang up and go after them." He suggested, evil smile on his face. The urge to do so now was hitting hard and it was making him antsy for the actual day to show up.

She giggled at the picture of taking on Alya and Adrien going after Nino. "Alya might get me because she's taller, but you'd totally wreck Nino."

"And proudly so." He proclaimed, chin rising.

They laughed at the imagery for a moment before her eyes gravitated back to the general list of birthday decorations she was looking at online. "So balloons are in. And I'm so making you a cake. Don't even think I'm letting you buy one at the store. I will have papa lecture you on proper flavor of frosting if you do."

He chuckled. "Wouldn't dream of it, my lady. I can't wait."

"Chocolate, vanilla, or marble? Or maybe something with a fruit filling? Or an ice cream cake? Ugh...there are too many options I can make you!"

He stopped and thought as a hum dragged out. They all sounded great and he didn't really care one way or another since she was making it. She sounded equally skilled in all of them and he supposed if he wanted, he could ask for a few small ones, but didn't want to overtax her before school was over. She was already planning the entire thing and wouldn't let him touch anything.

"I think I need a coffee refill while I think over that question." He stood from the chair and grabbed his empty cup. "I'll be right back."

"Think fast because I need to know for frosting topping and word coloring ideas. And language. Pick that one, too."

The line was fairly long and he cradled the cup as he looked at the board, pondering a few choices to sip on while he let himself get overly attached to this idea she was planting in his head. In the beginning, he hadn't cared when she made mention of it. As the hours passed and turned into days, he really started to look forward to this...just as she was.

His phone buzzed in his back pocket and almost made him drop the empty ceramic in shock.

His free hand swooped down and snagged it from its resting spot, finding a text message the culprit. From Natalie. He unlocked his phone and found two words staring back at him.

 _Call_ _me._

He blinked at the strange message with no explanation and worried something may be wrong. He immediately clicked the phone icon on the text history and only got two rings before it picked up.

"Thank you for calling me back, Adrien. Are you free to talk for a few minutes?"

A brow went up. Her tone was nothing short of professional, as it usually was, but he had known her for years and could hear the little bit of unease in her words. He looked to the line, eyes wandering to where Marinette was sitting, before deciding that whatever she needed him for was too important to call back later.

"Yea, I can find a few minutes if you need me for something."

"It's your father that actually needs you, Adrien. His director of events got together with PR and decided to do something concerning the twentieth year of Gabriel being in business."

A brow went up. That didn't sound surprising for them to do. "So how does that involve me?"

"They decided to have a huge gallery and photo event in Milan, along with a remake of a bunch of vintage items from the beginning years. They plan on printing a bunch of old photos of boys-wear that you used to model, and production is going to make some of them available for that age group for a limited time. It's going to be at the Arts and Events Center soon."

A bad feeling was crawling up his spine and he couldn't escape it. There was no way to flee the amount of discomfort that was suddenly strangling his heart and squeezing his chest. The knot that was starting to form in his stomach as a result was highly unpleasant. Everything he had just been thinking was wiped away like a stain that hadn't set in yet.

"How soon...is soon?" He mumbled, barely hearing his voice...barely able to find his own voice.

"The even is scheduled to take place the week your birthday. The first day you're required to be there as a representative is the twenty-sixth."

That was the day after his birthday! Marinette was planning the party that weekend because she figured everyone would be free to spend it with him. She even thought to invite Sabrina to the mix, even if he wasn't really sure how that was going to turn out.

He plopped the empty cup on the counter when the person in front of him stepped out of his way and left the line without ordering anything. He headed away from the table he had been having so much fun at and went for the back of the store so she didn't hear anything, couldn't see how much this was distressing him.

"And what does he think I'm supposed to do about finals? They're going on right now if you'd like to know."

"HR has already contacted all of your professors to find out when they'll be over. You'll be cleared for that long in advance, but even if timing was a problem, they would have allowed you to take any remaining tests early."

His teeth grit. Of course they would; they had been accommodating his father since his own arrival into ISC!

"I know this is not the best time with school. I actually discussed the trip with your father and got him to schedule a little more time in Milan for you for your birthday. The event itself is two days, with the sale going on for a month. You're to attend the Event Center for those few hours as the primary symbol of the boy's line, visit the boutique that's having the month sale for just one day, and have a few interviews in the beginning and at the end. I got him to agree to give you those few days extra to do whatever you wanted as an expense-paid gift and visit Milan again."

A hand ran over his face and stopped over his eyes. The sheer strength of the frustration welling up in him was bringing tears to his eyes and it was hard to keep composure in public. He wanted to throw the device across the cafe, damned it all at how badly it would hurt someone or crack his phone into a million pieces.

He didn't fault Natalie for trying for his sake to give him that extra free time to visit a place he once talked highly of. Of the people he had befriended and still missed...occasionally wanted to see. He would have shuffled on a plane in a week and a half and enjoyed having Italian wine and pizza and real pasta and bruchetta with bread again...if not for the fact that he was going to miss his own birthday party that he would have rather gone to instead!

"Is there absolutely no way to reschedule this till my birthday is done?" He bit out, barely managing to keep his voice down. "Why did they have to decide that specific time to ship me across the continent? I'm sure all those high-paid executives are more than aware of when I was born!"

"The timing was supposed to be in line with the twentieth year of Gabriel. Since your father started the company right around your birthday, the director wanted to market this as close to the anniversary as possible in order to reap the benefits of sales."

Costing him much happier times with the one he held more dear than his own father. Now he had to tell her and watch her joy fall as heavily as his just did.

"I suppose it's a moot point to say that I already had plans for my birthday over here?" He nearly growled, already knowing the answer.

"You'll need to reschedule them. I'm sorry, Adrien. I knew this whole thing would be something of an inconvenience to you and that's why I tried to get you more time in Milan for you to enjoy to make it up to you."

Which he would rather hop on a plane the day this was all done and scoop his girlfriend up in his arms and apologize excessively for his father's insensitivity. He heaved a sigh, knowing he was stuck. There was no way he was getting out of this; he was pretty much the star as usual.

He hung up the phone and stared across the cafe to where he was supposed to be sitting right now. He was supposed to be enjoying a coffee he never ordered and envision a party that now wasn't going to happen with someone he just knew was going to cry over this.

They were both looking forward to it in their own ways and the only reason she was gushing this much about it was because she couldn't keep quiet and make it a surprise. After she spilled what was on her mind, she then decided he was going to be her adviser as the guest of honor to the whole thing and had been asking questions nonstop once she found he hadn't had a party for a while...let alone even bother to do anything special for his birthday in years. The second he told her he had only had a handful of actual birthday parties with other people, she immediately declared this was going to top every one he had...and hadn't had.

Every obligation that had to tell her this wasn't going to happen and she'd have to reschedule it for a week later, if it was even possible now, made him want to stay rooted where he was for the rest of the afternoon. He had to tell her that he wasn't going to be able to open her gift in front of everyone and pick out the type of cake he wanted to have. The balloon fights would have to be postponed to another weekend, provided everyone even had the time then.

The walk that should have taken less than a minute took over five. He could have walked on his hands faster to his chair.

"Who was that on the phone?" Blue eyes took in his features, instantly narrowing with concern. "Are you alright?"

He plopped into the chair with a sigh, unable to hide it. A hand ran through his hair, the other tossing his phone onto the table. "It was just Natalie."

She gave a sympathetic smile and patted his hand. "More business crap to have to wade through, huh?" She instantly perked up and flashed him a list she had been compiling during his absence with random foods she wanted to make. "I don't think I'll go so over the top with all of these dishes so just tell me which ones you want the most and I'll find the ingredients from that."

He cringed a little, momentarily burying his face in his hands. He wanted to slam his fists on the table, stop time, reverse time, not answer his phone...anything! He would almost rather deal with the consequence of his father calling because he wasn't picking up than tell her that all her plans were going to go to waste. As it was, she was practically vibrating out of her chair with happiness.

"I...can't pick out the cake. I'm sorry. I can't pick out anything on the menu you made." Sad green looked to the tabletop, unable to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry."

She grabbed his hands and cradled them in hers, rushing to comfort him. "I – I didn't mean to put so much pressure on you to decide!" She rambled, leaning over the table. "I just thought you'd want something that you like to eat. I wanted to make you a cake you liked best! I know how much you enjoyed that last meal I made..."

His hand patted hers slowly, feeling tired though evening was hours away. "I know you did, Marinette. I'm sorry, but...I can't eat any of that."

He wasn't saying this because of food allergies and he had none as far as she was aware. She studied his face and saw how down he was. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, unable to push words out. Her eyes darted around his face for clues. "What...what's wrong? Is something the matter at home?"

His head slowly shook. "It's not that... The...the call from Natalie? She said that my father's team is putting together a twentieth anniversary event...in Milan."

Her hands went lax in his, not really feeling them for the sense of foreboding overtaking her. Was it always this hard to breathe? "Oh...?"

"And I'm required to go...on the twenty-sixth."

Every good emotion she had just been experiencing was wiped away in a second, leaving nothing but a gaping pit of nothing in its wake. All the emotions she had been compiling and feeding off of were gone and she didn't know what to feel now. There was nothing good to know now...except stare into the darkness and fall into it. Tears suddenly sprang to her eyes and she rapidly blinked them back, trying to take a steadying breath...to keep her breathing from shaking as her hands were doing.

Her hands slowly pulled away, his eyes shooting up from the table to find hers already looking to it. He gripped her fingers, trying to give comfort at knowing just how much she was looking forward to this. She was perhaps more than he was. It was the first birthday they were going to share together and she had his present all ready to go. He knew how much time she spent on it.

"I'm sorry, Marinette! I told Natalie that I already had plans, had school to do. She pretty much made it sound like I'm the star of the show and the event is planned around my being there!" He sighed, bringing their hands to his forehead to prop up his tired brain. "She even went and tried to be thoughtful by paying for a hotel for a few extra days afterward. I know she was trying to be nice because of what I have to do. She didn't know. My father's team doesn't seem to care much about what's going on in my life, so I can't even defend them...if I even wanted to."

She didn't fault him for this in the slightest. She knew what it was like to forgo fun get-togethers for her business. It had been that way for a long time, graduate school only making things much worse when everyone scattered after Sorbonne. She was well-aware of the headache and heartache of lost opportunities of making memories on both sides. It was why she cherished the times with her friends and looked forward to those meetings so much.

It was now the same thing with his birthday party...and the hurt was just as bad, if not worse because of who she was doing this for.

"Oh..." She mumbled, not able to look at him. She didn't feel her hands in his, not the squeeze he gave or her name from his lips. She couldn't give in to the requests that he look at her and pulled away when he tried to lift her face higher to see him. "I...see..."

"I'm so sorry, my lady! I wish there was something I could do about this. I've been my father's tool for so long that I don't even know how to get out of it now. I haven't found a way in almost ten years, but not for lack of trying."

The pet name made the tears come much faster than they already were. She tried to use her bangs to hide her eyes, to hide the rapid blinking. She didn't want to take a hand away and wipe her eyes, didn't want to let him know she was crying because she couldn't throw him a birthday party. Just thinking of it like that sounded so petty and she should suck it up...but a sniffle left her before she could collect herself.

She didn't want to cry in front of him. It wasn't fair to him and he had no choice in this matter. This wasn't something either of them could control. She was well aware of how important he was to his father's business, how much of a pawn he was at a moment's notice. She didn't want to act so horrible and show him how down she was about this. The option to have it earlier was there; to have it by themselves was there; to push it back another week and inform everyone of the change a total possibility. His birthday party could still happen...just not on the actual day. This was nothing to get upset over...really it wasn't.

She shoved the chair away and fled for the main doors.

He was stunned for only a moment before weaving around tables after her as quickly as he could. His hand snagged her arm before she got more than ten paces outside the front doors, whirling her toward him and hugging her tightly against his chest.

She buried her face in his shirt, not wanting him to see her cry as hard as she was. She knew he was probably more let down than she was, than she should be, for not being able to go to his own party. To not be able to eat her homemade birthday cake and meals. To hang out with her friends and try to get to know them again. To have all sorts of fun pranks and open her present.

Oh god...the present she made...

She had spent so many late nights, requesting that she sleep alone so she could get it made and then focus on exams once and for all. The stitching had been so annoying and she questioned her skills on it so many times. The pattern was more complex than it looked like on paper and she almost ruined it more than once. She was more than frustrated during half of the sewing process and worried it wouldn't look good on him. She doubted her fashion expertise when she held up the finished product, not able to see it on him and wanted to tear it up into a million pieces.

She had put a lot of time and effort into that garment. There was a lot of hope and anxiety riding on that one present which she really wanted to see him open. It was already wrapped in shiny paper with curled ribbon and a bow. She had given extra care to put a bunch of tape on it to prank him and give him a hard time in opening it. She thought it would be funny...now it just seemed totally dumb.

He listened to her cry against his chest, small fingers clenching fabric in a vice, his arms around her shaking back. He edged them to the building and out of the way of people walking around them, not wanting her to stop so they could walk the few blocks back to the dorm and have some privacy. She barely moved as it was and he didn't want to rush her to compose herself.

"I'm...sorry..." She mumbled, hardly able to talk. "I put too much effort...into this... I g – got too c – carried away... I sh – should have...have known th – that...that something like this might h – h – happen..."

He squeezed her against him. "You did absolutely nothing wrong." His hand came up and went through her hair. "You're not to blame and I'm grateful for all you've done so far. You're absolutely amazing for wanting to do so much for me when you certainly didn't have to. I love you for even trying. Even if the party isn't going to happen when we originally scheduled it, we can always have it later."

She glumly looked to the sidewalk. "It won't be the s – same..."

He sighed, putting his chin on her head. "I know... The excitement isn't going to be as much."

She tried to take a few deep breaths over the next few moments and compose herself. She slowly stepped from his hold, head down and unable to look at him. Her fingers came up and wiped her cheeks dry, the frown unable to remove itself from her face.

He gently took her hand and tugged her in the direction of the dorms. She sniffled one final time and quickly snagged the sunglasses hanging off his jacket pocket. She held them up with a hand so they didn't fall off since they were too big for her face and the nose pieces too wide.

They trudged back in silence. The stairs seemed to take forever and he had to pull her to his room when she didn't seem to want to move.

She sat in his lap, mostly from his insistence. Everything that she had been looking forward to all week and next was gone as if it never existed and it seemed like she was cruelly woken from the best dream in the world. She was once again reminded of his status and how different he was from her in many different ways in life. He was going to fly to another country to show off his face for some event for his family's business. She wasn't going to see him for probably a week and would have to be content with him texting her pictures of him. Of talking to him whenever he had time and pray she wouldn't keep him awake too long.

It would be hard. Ever since she had tried to balance work and their relationship, they had spent so much time together. She had spent a few months working out the right moments to spend on her work and shift to him where necessary. The recent times she had purposely separated them for her work was still for him. He had become such a large part of her life in such a short amount of time and she couldn't believe it until she was faced with his absence for an entire week.

"I'm going t – to...miss y – you..." She sniffled, breaking out into tears all over again.

His arms went back around her, tossing the sunglasses onto some spot on his bed. His mind was blank for what felt like the longest time, ears bleeding as she cried in the quiet of his room.

The whole thing wasn't fair and he wished there was anything he could do to revolt! Not going was the biggest thing, but he could picture what the consequences would be if he did that. Changing the date wasn't going to work because he bet all the ads had gone out and been translated to Italian already. The Paris stores probably had the stock in their back rooms and were just waiting for the days to pass to rearrange their shelves and get everything ready to sell.

His eyes widened when one, off-the-wall idea came suddenly sprang to mind.

He quickly pushed her back and looked at her at the epiphany came to him. He took in the tear tracks and red eyes, mouth falling open as he rolled the thought in his head. "It might work..." He mumbled to himself.

She sniffed and wiped her face again. "What...will?"

His eyes hardened, the resolve calming him. "If I take you with me."

It was her turn to be shocked. "T – to...Italy?" She took a few deep breaths, the idea so strange and sudden that she couldn't grasp it. "But...school... What about finals?"

His hands clamped down on her shoulders, utterly serious. "Talk to them. Father said he was planning on them arranging for me to take my finals early and they would have agreed to it. See if they can do the same for you. Tell them it's business-related. Tell them it's important and you've already got a plane ticket."

Her head sadly shook. "B – but...I can't afford that."

His hands cupped her cheeks, eyes gentle. "You just leave that to me." He briefly kissed her, eyes turning solemn again. "In fact, leave everything to me. I won't leave you behind next week. If I can't open your present at your house on my birthday, then we'll just have to do so in a hotel room in Milan. Don't worry...I'll make it so that you're on that plane with me."


	62. Air France to Milan

He was supposed to be in Milan on the twenty-sixth and check out of his hotel the second of June. Natalie forwarded him his schedule of the events, the interviews, the plane, and his hotel. He used that information to see about booking a ticket on short notice and prayed that there was still a seat left for her into Linate Airport.

There were two and he paid the extra Euro to get to sit next to her for the hour and a half that was scheduled from take-off to land.

The paper trail was there for him to utilize and he took all of the puzzle pieces in the email. His driver was going to pick them up and take them to Orly early for check in. Once there, they were going to stay at the ApArt Hotel Lupetta, which was pretty much around the corner from the Events Center, but nestled in amongst a lot of other culture places to visit. It was going to cost his father about a thousand Euro for the week, but he had a feeling that Natalie had a hand in the convincing...especially when there were cheaper hotels which would have saved the company money.

He called the front desk and informed the clerk of a sudden, very private change in attendance and asked the woman to keep it just between the two of them. He added that he planned on taking care of any extra inconvenience for the abrupt change to their booking, but the clerk assured him that everything was already paid for via Gabriel Agreste's credit card and one extra person would be no trouble. Apparently, Natalie had gotten him a fairly large, one bedroom apartment during his week there, which was big enough to accommodate two people anyway. The comfort that she had looked into worked out in his favor and he was thankful for yet another reason...along with the fact that the hotel was fully booked as it was due to the event.

The big issue was that Gabriel's PR staff would be in the same hotel with him for those few days.

It took a bit of quick thinking to work this out in his favor so that no one suspected a thing. Thankfully, he was pretty good at a little devious planning when the time called for it.

" _I_ _need_ _an_ _assistant_ _for_ _this_ _whole_ _thing._ _If_ _you're_ _going_ _to_ _drop_ _this_ _on_ _me_ _at_ _such_ _short_ _notice,_ _without_ _much_ _more_ _than_ _the_ _itinerary_ _in_ _my_ _email,_ _I'm_ _going_ _to_ _need_ _some_ _help."_

" _I_ _apologize,_ _Adrien,_ _but_ _I'm_ _not_ _available_ _to_ _-"_

" _Not_ _you,_ _Natalie._ _I_ _need_ _someone_ _to_ _keep_ _track_ _of_ _the_ _events,_ _help_ _me_ _get_ _ready,_ _do_ _my_ _makeup_ _if_ _necessary,_ _make_ _sure_ _my_ _meals_ _are_ _served_ _on_ _time,_ _pick_ _out_ _the_ _right_ _clothes_ _to_ _visit_ _the_ _boutique,_ _and_ _any_ _other_ _random_ _things_ _that_ _crop_ _up_ _in_ _the_ _moment._ _Basically,_ _a_ _personal_ _assistant._ _Nothing_ _of_ _your_ _caliber."_

" _I_ _don't_ _think_ _the_ _PR_ _group_ _that's_ _staying_ _with_ _you_ _can_ _take_ _care_ _of_ _all_ _of_ _those_ _things_ _for_ _you,_ _Adrien."_

" _I_ _know_ _this._ _They_ _have_ _their_ _own_ _thing_ _to_ _do_ _with_ _coordinating_ _everything_ _so_ _it_ _runs_ _smoothly_ _and_ _that_ _the_ _reporters_ _don't_ _get_ _too_ _excessive._ _I_ _have_ _someone_ _in_ _mind_ _that_ _might_ _be_ _able_ _to_ _do_ _the_ _job_ _for_ _them._ _This_ _person_ _has_ _been_ _working_ _with_ _the_ _fashion_ _industry_ _for_ _about_ _ten_ _years_ _or_ _so_ _and_ _has_ _plenty_ _of_ _knowledge_ _in_ _the_ _field._ _I_ _have_ _full_ _confidence_ _that_ _snags_ _won't_ _happen_ _such_ _a_ _person_ _is_ _my_ _assistant."_

He wondered if she would have smacked him for calling her his personal assistant. Once he got the okay, leaving out details as to how he found the purposely vague person and where they were going to stay on such short notice, he kept cackling whenever he looked at Marinette and imagined her doing such things at his beck and call.

He told Natalie he would take care of everything since he was so insistent on the extra personnel. He said that, if necessary, he'd handle any extra charges the business would accrue and they could take care of it later. He made certain to assure Natalie just enough so she put it out of her mind, but not too much that she would suspect something was up. Once he got all of the major details out of the way, he mentally breathed a sigh of relief and looked forward to the day.

01010

"I don't think I've been on a plane since high school."

Click.

He copied her and tugged on the seat belt to tighten it.

"Did we HAVE to travel first class though?" She squeaked, trying to keep her voice down. Blue eyes looked around, legs stretching out, but not able to touch the back of the seat in front of her and not because she was too short. Slightly irritated, paranoid eyes found amused green. "Do I even WANT to know how much you paid for this ticket?"

He grinned and looked around at the upper deck. There was red carpeting all over with only a dozen, half oval recliners loitering the area. There were extra spaces in between the chairs to put electronic devices, along with some in front for carry-on luggage...to say nothing of the actual, overhead bins. If they were in economy or even business class, the airline could probably squish another thirty, highly uncomfortable seats in where they were at.

"I require the leg room." He humorously sidestepped, pushing a button for the leg rest to electronically come out.

She stared at him with an unimpressed, slightly annoyed look. She couldn't believe she was here on the trip, let alone in such an expensive seat! He was acting like this was nothing out of the ordinary when it was the definition of awesome and she wondered how often he had flown first class through the years. "Rich boy..." She grumbled, feeling more than poor right now. A hand covered her face. "God...I'm never going to be able to fly economy ever again..."

He snickered, threading his fingers over his stomach as he idly entwined his ankles which barely hovered over the edge of the leather seat. "If you really want to know, I can tell you how much I paid for your ticket. It's the same thing that the company paid for mine...though I'm pretty sure Natalie upgraded me from business class."

"Part of me really doesn't want to know...but I can't help myself." She leaned on the space between them, mentally bracing herself. "Drop it on me."

"About fifteen hundred Euro."

Her eyes could have fallen out of her head. He said it so casually, as if the zeros meant nothing. She tried to figure out how many times she would have to prick herself on knitting needles and sewing pins, how many trips to the post office, and how many late nights she'd be up in order to get that kind of extra spending money to just blow on a nice seat.

"WHAT?!"

"Is there a problem?"

Hands clamped over her mouth as she looked up to the well-polished stewardess. She went beet red, only able to shake her head and never stop.

He idly looked up, giving a friendly smile to the young woman who returned it. "First time in first class." He responded, jerking his head at Marinette.

The woman gave a nod in such a way that explained everything. The two locked eyes and the stewardess smiled. "If you need anything Mademoiselle, please let us know. We are here to serve you as our most valuable customer."

That wasn't something she had ever heard in economy and it was hard not to glare at the woman and the oozing business charm.

"Would you like a little champagne to relax you before take-off?"

She shook her head again, not wanting to waste even more money than Adrien had already shelled out for her benefit.

He looked her way when she still looked ready to explode and took one of her hands. "It's already been included in the ticket, so you might as well have a glass and enjoy the trip." He lazily entwined their fingers and left their hands on the extra space between their seats as he looked to the woman. "May I have a list? I don't know which type I'd rather have. Also, I'd like to pick us out the meals now."

"Understood, Monsieur Agreste. I'll be back momentarily."

She watched the woman weave around another couple that was heading into the area and past the curtain separating them from economy. Her eyes immediately snapped to him and stared until he looked her way. "Why does she know your last name?" She leaned over the seat. "How many times have you flown in first class?"

His free hand patted hers, shaking his head and closing his eyes. "That question aside, do you seriously think that a face like mine, with as much time in the business as I have, wouldn't be known to someone on a French airline?"

He had a point, but she just knew he wouldn't be in first class this much. Given how stuffy his father appeared, she just knew that someone in his executive team would put Adrien in business to save on travel costs. Course...business class sounded just as expensive and she had seen it once on a trip to China. The seats were still nice and the amenities way more than economy would ever get.

She slumped back in the chair, listening to the other seven passengers get settled and start rummaging through laptops and the screens located in the back of the chair in front of them. She didn't know any of them, and part of her wanted it that way. She stayed until the same woman returned with two menus and she took it out of blatant curiosity.

Wines were on the front with both English and French on the list. She had way more experience with baking than she did wine, so the explanations meant nothing to her. She let Adrien pick out the items like he said he was going to do earlier and thus ended up with some Henriot Brut, himself picking a Bordeaux Rouge.

The flight wasn't long enough for the dinner that was listed on the page, so he picked them out an appetizer, cheese set, and dessert tray from the snack section. She scoffed at the suggestion of eating another company's desserts, but vowed to hold her critique for his sake until she actually bit into whatever it was that he ordered.

She didn't know if she was going to look at cream puffs the same after this.

"Please keep your voice down..." He murmured, cheeks heating just a little as she gushed about the overall flavor, crispness of the bread, and perfect size of puff. Her eyes all but rolled into the back of her head, a perfect look of pleasure on her face, and he wondered if he could ever get her to look like that in bed.

She finished off both puffs in her set, devoured the small bowl of fruit, wondered how she could remake the cream of cauliflower, and thoroughly enjoyed the chicken loaf muffin. She reclined the seat once the stewardess took their trays and grabbed the Henriot. She took a sip and gave a exhale of approval.

While it was cute to watch her dig into the meal and enjoy it with as much gusto as she did, knowing she was looking at it from the eyes of a baker's daughter, she was kind of embarrassing for the level of grace one was socially expected to adapt in first class. "I don't think I can travel with you in first class for a while after this..." He mumbled, sneaking peeks at the other passengers around them. Fingers pinched the bridge of his nose a little at finding someone giving a less-than-pleased look.

She grinned, totally unperturbed to the spectacle she may be making the whole way and held up her glass. "Do you honestly think I can ever afford to sit in first class after this? I'm going to enjoy it to the fullest." She stared at the wine she was swirling, the bubbles long gone. "Well...if I'm lucky I will, but I wouldn't want to pay this much money just to fly to another country that I could probably have taken the train to for way cheaper."

"That's a seven hour trip." He groused, giving her a dry look. "It's better to save yourself the time and annoyance of using an entire day just to travel somewhere. Trust me, I know."

"Not for over a thousand Euro." She retorted.

"Would you care for another refill of Henriot, Mademoiselle?"

She happily handed the glass over, raving about the food and how she wished she could steal the recipe to look it over. She took the wine back and sniffed it, a new set of bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass.

"I'm glad you so enjoyed the meal, Mademoiselle."

He looked up as he took his own refill from the woman. "Her family actually runs a bakery. This is kind of her thing."

"Which bakery?" The second her parent's name was given, the stewardess's professional exterior dropped. "Really?! I had my wedding cake made by them years ago!" A hand cupped the woman's cheek. "I still remember it three years later. It was so delicious; it was hard to forget."

This was too small of a world, no matter how many years her parents had run that store! Sure they had been in some magazines and had been heralded as the "best bakery in all of Paris" for a number of years in some of those magazines, but what were the odds?

She chatted with the woman on the current listing of pastries her parents were selling and the woman vowed that on her next bout of free time in Paris that she would visit her parent's store and buy a sleuth of those delectable desserts.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any of my parent's business cards with me." She apologized with a smile.

"Oh, it's easy to find on the internet." The woman waved off. "Their address and hours should be on there as well."

The woman eventually headed off to check on the other passengers and she settled in to the seat a little more with a pleased smile. She directed it his way, almost smug at getting recognized herself.

He knew that look, had given it a few times himself in the past in Milan with his college friends. "So we're both slightly famous." He acceded. "You a little less than me."

She swirled the alcohol around, the look not fading. "Only for now, Monsieur... These people may be wearing Chanel and Louis Vitton, but within a few years down the line, there are going to be ladybug spots on their clothing."

He grinned and shook his head. He held his glass out to her, angling it for her to clink. "I'll toast to that, my lady."

01010

Getting out of Linate Airport was hard enough with all of the people in it, but it was even worse since she didn't speak more than a few words of Italian! She stuck to Adrien's side like glue, thankful that a lot of the attendants and customs agents spoke fluent French. She was overwhelmed more than any trip to China and dealing with their airports, which were just as crowded, but easier to read. She could guess a bunch of the words like "informazioni" and "arrivi", also using some of the English under them to figure it out.

She tiredly plopped into the taxi, leaning her head on his shoulder once he settled in next to her. She let him give directions to the driver, shivering a little as she listened to his perfect Italian.

"Have I ever told you how sexy it is when you speak another language?" She murmured, purposely using Mandarin in case the driver knew French. While her heart may be pounding right now, she wasn't about to embarrass herself in another taxi!

He smiled her way, one usually reserved for the cameras. He leaned closer, a finger trailing from the edge of her jaw to the tip of her chin. "This is news to me after the mass amount of time we've been using this language, my lady. Should I speak more Italian to you once we get to our room and teach you a few interesting words?"

His voice oozed charm and sexiness and she swore it dropped a notch while he was talking. She leaned up long enough to accept his kiss before settling against his shoulder and finding his hand. "I suppose that depends on whether or not we're checking in immediately, Monsieur." She redirected with a smile. She reached into her purse and found it only two on her phone. "We got here sooner than expected by maybe twenty minutes and I thought you said check-in wasn't until at least three."

He smiled. "The rooms are usually clean by then. I've had experience with early check-in before and I'm sure they'll give an Agreste a room if we ask for it. From the sounds of things, PR will be staying with us and they were probably on that plane, too. I have a feeling father's company will budge their way in if the opportunity is there."

It would be nice. Though they hadn't left Paris until about noon, they had to get there for customs and baggage check-in. Even if she managed to get up about eight and pack what she needed for the week, it had been an emotional day and she just knew it wasn't over yet. She was already tired from thinking about the rest of it!

As it turned out, the half a dozen PR crew were already in their rooms and they were the last to arrive. She was happy when she saw the clerk hand over their keys with a smile. Her ears were poised for every word of Italian coming out of Adrien's mouth and she wondered if there were any books in the room that she could have him read from.

She didn't know what to expect from a hotel in Italy, but an all dark, wooden door wasn't exactly it. He unlocked it for them and she pulled her carry-on inside, eyes widening at the quaint space that quietly greeted them.

The walls were white with huge, wooden beams and an angled ceiling. Sure, they were on the top floor, but such a design gave it simplistic beauty. The flooring matched the beams, as did the coffee table. There was the barest traces of a kitchen on the other side, a gorgeous patio with huge windows, a small inside table for two, a couple of couches, and two doors in the far corner...what she assumed were the bedroom and bathroom.

"It's so CUTE!" She loudly gushed, leaving her suitcase where it was to hurry further inside. She stopped in between the kitchen and patio and ran her hands over the small counters, which were still bigger than the pitiful space she had in her dorm room. "I love it! This place is great!" She turned for him with a huge smile before turning and throwing the patio doors open and heading outside.

He watcher her look over the railing with a mix of shock and pleasure, happy she was so entranced with their lodging for the next week. He wheeled their luggage into the room and set it next to one of the couches before joining her outside.

The smell was great, the scene homey. Small patios of other houses were their view, but she didn't seem to mind in the slightest. She propped herself up on the wrought-iron railing and was verbally admiring all of the plants she could see around them. Unable to help himself, he stopped behind her and put his hands on either side of her on the railing, chin finding a shoulder.

She slowly straightened until she was leaning against him. His arms gravitated to around her stomach, his hands lightly holding hers. She shivered at the content sigh he exhaled near her ear, thrown from the ambiance of it all for one stark realization.

She was going to be spending an entire week with Adrien in a hotel room he had snuck her in to.

While they had stayed in each other's dorm rooms almost every night, she wasn't supposed to be here. He had spun white lies in order for her to be with him and share his birthday in a much better way than it would have ended up.

The earlier feelings he caused by speaking Italian hit her over the head and she harshly swallowed.

He was painfully aware of the hitch to her breath and the way she stilled in his hold. "I'm glad you like the room, my lady." He murmured, purposely making it so his breath brushed against her ear. A gasp was his reward and there was the barest of pulses that shot through him in kind. "I was thinking of checking out what was behind those other two doors. Care to join me?"

Anticipation captured her and all she could manage was a choppy nod. He stepped away from her, still holding on to one of her hands as they entered the main room again.

The bedroom wasn't as large as the main area, but it was only needed for sleeping anyway. There was a bed big enough for the two of them with space to hang up some shirts. There was a huge window taking up almost the entire wall and when she pulled the curtain back, she found the patio greeting her.

The sound of sheets being pulled back filled the air and her head whipped around to find him plopping down on the mattress with that exhale of pure comfort. It sent tingles up her spine and fingers gripped the curtains she forgot she was still holding. After a moment, seeing him prop his head with his hands so he could look at her, her feet turned her on their own will. Only two steps were needed to reach the bed's edge and she plopped onto it without words, eyes never leaving his.

He looked at her, telling of how hungry he was in more ways than one. She couldn't break away, couldn't blink, but was okay to stay like that until the sun went down.

At length, one of his hands left the back of his head and found a wrist. He slowly tugged her to him and she went, draping herself over his chest. He rubbed her back for a bit, feeling the speed of her heartbeat match his.

"I think we have a few hours before I bother contacting PR to see who's here and what's going on for tomorrow..."

She jumped when his voice punctured the quiet, his heart roaring in her ears. She was practically shaking and she was only somewhat amazed that he could turn her around this quickly by doing so little...but she rather liked it.

She propped herself up on his chest, throwing every lustful desire at him that he was sending to her. "Sounds like it's enough time for us to check out what the bathroom looks like later..." She breathed, lips crashing over his.

 _Air_ _France_ _first_ _class_ _inspiration:_ _onemileatatime img boardingarea com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Air-France-First-Class jpg_

 _Air_ _France_ _food_ _/_ _drink_ _inspiration:_ _onemileatatime boardingarea com/2015/04/21/review-air-france-business-class-777-paris-to-new-york-jfk/_

 _ApArt_ _Hotel_ _room:_ _bstatic com/images/hotel/max1024x768/443/44346634 jpg_


	63. Testing out the birthday present

For days after the debacle started, all she could ever wrap her head around was that she was going to Milan, Italy for an entire week because Adrien wanted to spend his birthday with her and somehow make it up to her after her original plans were highly derailed. Getting on the plane only felt like a fantasy; getting settled into their room somewhat jostled her from everything.

Having to sit in on a meeting at a nearby restaurant drove it home in the worst way.

She fumbled her greetings to everyone, forgetting their names entirely within five minutes. She went with "Madame" and "Monsieur" for safety, making it appear tat she was just trying to be cordial for the sake of a low-paying PA role and that she was well aware of their much higher job status.

She couldn't stop kicking herself for messing up and behaving all-too nervous in front of everyone, unable to act in the story he had spun and made her out to be. She wanted to physically lean on Adrien more than she was, but he was thankfully aware of her stumbles and helped cover for her a great deal. He took the reigns in the beginning, reaching for the print-outs that she needed and being the one to ask questions on the list which she should have been doing.

It took half the dinner for her to relax and let professionalism clobber her over the head.

Once she became accustomed to some of the people and what was going on, the terminology easy and highly familiar, it was effortless to ask basic questions which made her more of a professional in a job she had never had. She asked for a pen from them, taking notes on things she had forgotten and apologizing for not doing so earlier. She explained how overwhelmed she had been since she left Paris, rationalizing that she had never been to Italy and was sadly not very good at the language. She vowed that she would do her job as well as she could in helping "Monsieur Agreste" get ready for his duties and would certainly come to them if she had any questions or needed any help after this.

She felt much better after she snapped to and defended abilities that merely required a keen eye and sharp mind. She always had an eye for details and was very good at stuff like lists and keeping track of the little things. It was a requirement for a seamstress and being the only one in her business, such menial tasks were very important and she utilized that mindset to replace the bumbling idiot with someone who was much better than she originally let on.

She felt that the dinner ended on a high note, no one suspicious of her being at the table with them. A few of them pulled her aside when everything was done, going over a few extras concerning tomorrow with her. She asked plenty of questions, using the back of the itinerary to take notes so she wouldn't forget. This was her job for the next few days and she couldn't mess up. Not with how Adrien had painted her to his company: a professional with ten years and going in the business. She didn't want to let him down now.

The moment they were back in the apartment for the evening, she flopped on the couch with a huge exhale, the adrenaline letdown going through her. "I don't think I've ever been so panicked in my entire life." She mumbled, face in shaking hands.

He gave her a sympathetic smile, sitting on the coffee table so he could pat a leg. "You did great. I was highly impressed when your head switched on."

She gave him a dry look through her fingers and pouted. "Gee, thanks..."

He chuckled. "I mean it. You handled a high-pressure situation with very little warning beforehand and passed it with flying colors. I know those people and they aren't worried about your abilities anymore. You did a great job."

She sat up with a smile, heaving a huge sigh to release the tension. She sat cross-legged and propped her head up, staring at him so close. "So, 'Monsieur Agreste'...we need to be up no later than six-thirty to get ready for a seven a.m. breakfast, then head out no later than eight to look at everything and get any final details from the crew. Show starts at nine sharp and you'll have interviews from the press that arrive and greet any other guests for the next three hours. You're to mingle and be charming, though you already are. Lunch is going to be close to one, so you need to be sure you have plenty to eat in the morning and I'll keep after you to make sure you're hydrated. After that, we have a photo shoot for two hours, then the rest of the day is ours." Her nose wrinkled. "Nice of them to let us have one major point of day to enjoy the city."

He grinned and leaned forward so he could rest his hands on her knees. "At this point, we're not here to sight-see. That's for after the show." His fingers found hers and lightly threaded them together. "So Mademoiselle assistant...what should I wear for the show tomorrow?"

She smiled, content to stare at the beautiful green of his eyes and the barest hint of stubble from a long day. She watched his eyes soften, knowing what she was doing and enjoying it. The quiet was nice and she let it continue, the whole situation circling around her and what her role was to him. What her role had already been to him.

She had almost forgotten his question, didn't want to break the air with words. She gave a thoughtful hum, as if having no idea what would be the most appropriate in a wardrobe that came from previous catwalks. "You could always open my present and try it on...see if it fits you." Teeth bit her lip as she looked down, the stack of nerves rearing their ugly head. "Course...I doubt you'd want to wear it to something like the event tomorrow... It may not be appropriate."

He immediately stood and tugged her to join him, pulling her to his chest. "I'll be the judge of that." He announced, kissing the top of his head. "There's no way that I'd cast aside something which I'm fully well just how much work and effort you put into, my lady."

She smiled, heart fluttering at his words. She gave him a squeeze before pulling away and scurrying off to the bedroom. She tried to keep the string and bow nice, but pouted when things got a little crumpled after they landed. The perfection she had created looked noticeably mangled and she cursed at the rough treatment.

She passed him his present a moment later, looking disapprovingly at the torn corner. "Stupid airline messed it up..." She grumbled, crossing her arms.

He looked to the job she had made on the outside of the box, giving a reassuring smile. "It still looks perfectly fine. It's going to be in tatters on the floor in a second." His eyes playfully squinted. "I'm a messy package opener."

She smiled as he tore into it, true to his words. It would have been easier to sweep up the mess he was making with just one present, but there was no broom anywhere. Course...considering how she had taped the corners entirely shut, she pretty much asked for him to do what he was currently doing...

She watched him tear off the tape holding the lid closed, heart in her throat and unable to breathe. Her lips pressed together as he pushed the wrapping paper aside and pulled the garment into the air by the shoulders, hiding his face from hers. She waited in anticipation as he was silent, wanting him to speak and yet fearing if he did.

Green took in the blood red color, sleeves he could see through, the deep V-neck cut. It was...odd, but fascinating in its own way. With as much time as he had been a model, throughout all of the pairs of clothes he had tried on, he had never seen such a thing. He didn't know what to think, what to say. He sat there, staring and taking it all in. It wasn't bad by any means and the lines he could already tell would fit him perfectly. She had taken into consideration every angle of his arm, the width of his shoulders, and the extra length of his torso.

Her hands rubbed together when he was still quiet. She feared the worst, every worry that it wasn't his style making her heart beat painfully in her chest and squeezing it. Her hands rose and grabbed the sides, ready to take it from his hands. "It's...weird, I know. I'm sorry...I'll get you something better when we get home."

He clutched at it when she actively tried to take it from him, standing so she couldn't do so. He took a few steps away, finally looking at her. "Don't you dare. I've just...never seen such a shirt is all." He smiled, walking back to her and sitting next to her on the coffee table. "Your sense of creativity had me happily stunned into silence, my lady."

She looked to the floor, picking at a knee in her need to fidget. "It's...bad. You can be honest. I wasn't too sure how it would look on you the entire time." Her brows knit furrowed. "Seeing it next to you, I'm still not sure it'll be your style."

"How about we find out?" He quickly stood and tossed his new garment over her head so he could take off his shirt. He threw the Gabriel-wear onto the couch and snatched the new one up before she could get a good grip on it and take off with it.

Putting it on was kind of a chore, and there was a learning curve with the arms. He caught his fingers on the makeshift arm guards before taking it slow and holding each sleeve so he could get his hands through the first time without ripping anything. He smoothed the fabric down over his jeans, the regular blue denim clashing with the style. Fingers plucked the neckline to situate it just right before he stopped and held his arms out, looking at the shirt and then to her for her opinion.

The pants had to go, that much was sure. She knew that she was either going to make him a matching pair of...something else, or they were going shopping before they headed home. Slacks wouldn't do, but he might be able to pull off a black pair of jeans if the design was right. It was too dark of a color scheme to wear for the season, so she had till the fall to find something better.

The way his arms were angled flexed his muscle just enough to do just what she was hoping that gap would do. Her eyes gravitated there and stopped, unable to look away. The torso fabric was snug enough to catch the twitch of his pectorals as he moved and made him look so much more built than he appeared with clothes on.

He went back to the shirt, taking in the neckline, the sleeves, and how it hugged his hips just right. It was only slightly warm, but the spaces in the sleeves kept him more than cool to account for the fact that it was probably the wrong season to be wearing this. His skin could breathe, it wasn't too tight, and there was no tug from his thumbs with the loops. She made it perfect.

"I kinda like it." He finally announced, smiling a little. "It's growing on me. It might raise too many questions for the event, but maybe I'll make it a priority on our sight-seeing trips after everything is done."

She jumped when he started talking, hearing him and yet not registering his words. She could only see the smile he gave, what still didn't seem to fit him.

A small part of her brain flipped into fashion-mode and she slowly stood, hands out to do something she couldn't think of. "It's...still kind of...off..." She mumbled, reaching up. She pulled on his shoulders a little to get him to lean down, hands mussing up the product in his hair and rearranging his usual sideways part.

The second she let go and he straightened, her heart jumped out of her throat and ran circles around the room. The bangs threatening to take over his eyes made him appear just a little dangerous, the flex of his muscles making him powerful. She stood in a trance in front of him, shaking like a leaf with her heart hammering inside her chest. The blood roared in her ears as she met his eyes, watching his smile fall at her reaction...eyes becoming a little hungry.

"What do you think, my lady?" He asked, taking a step closer. His arms fell to his sides, thumbs going through the belt loops in a classic model pose. "The pants will have to go though, I think. They don't match."

She idly nodded, unable to control herself when he got within touching distance. She looked to his chest, to his arms, his stomach. She knew just how built he was at seeing him naked so many times, but the tease of the garment she had made was compelling in a way she hadn't considered until she saw it on him.

He watched her struggle to breathe, her chest heaving...hands shaking. He wanted to touch her and when he gave in to the notion, she startled and exhaled a shaky breath. "Does it look that good on me?" He murmured, voice low. He took another small step, close enough to put his arms around her.

The clench of muscle at her sides had her head foggy, adrenaline spiking. She couldn't remember his question, let alone find the ability to answer him. She remained in the light hold for what felt like hours, eyes on dark red and the distinction of his skin at the arms.

She had worried about it looking good on him, the arm arrangement too strange and new. She never considered what the emotional ramifications of making the garment would be and they encircled her much more thoroughly than he was currently doing. She never knew such an outcome would happen by merely taking away his usual style and replacing it with much mussier hair.

He looked bad, roguish...and it excited her.

His fingers slowly trailed up past the light jacket she had on, past the shirt underneath it. A gasp was his reward, his invitation to continue on. His palms spread at the hot skin on her back, feeling her heart race with his. "I guess...the answer is yes?" He continued, leaning for her lips.

She absolutely ravaged his mouth the second their lips touched. She pulled him to her, fingers in his hair, feeling his nails over her skin. She moaned into his mouth, tongue battling his for supremacy and dominance. She followed when he started to move backward, suddenly falling onto him when he shifted for the couch. Without thought, she straddled his waist and leaned toward him.

He gripped her thighs when she ground against him, the jeans all too tight and highly unnecessary in a new way. The noises that escaped their mouths reached his ears and turned him hasty. He needed more of those, even if he was more than happy to let her sit on him and do this all night.

She wanted him to lose the pants, to lose hers, but that would require getting up...leaving his lips just to shuck off clothing. She mentally vowed that she needed to start wearing skirts more often in case such things came about. She only appeased her needs by moving against him, feeling him, but making things so much worse. She moved again to placate everything, wanting her clothes to evaporate into dust.

His hands gripped the fabric on her backside, clutching harshly and getting her to buck against him. She pressed hard and didn't move away, and his arms clutched her to his chest.

Her head angled back when he pulled away and made for her neck. She gasped as he licked down a vein. His hand suddenly moved and tugged her shirt down, lips finding the skin he exposed.

Whether he meant it as a silent order to take off her tops, she did anyway and dug her nails into his shoulders when his mouth continued downward.

His hands easily held her upright as she arched back to allow him more access. He could feel her thighs clench to stabilize her and felt his mouth go dry as a desert. He let his lips fumble her bra off just enough to gain the prize, also getting her to cry out his name in the silence.

His brain snapped and he whirled her onto the cushions of the couch.

She had no time to think, let alone more than gasp a reaction, before he was kissing her and covering her with his body. She wrapped her legs around his waist, tugging him down insistently.

He leaned back long enough to undo his jeans and hers. His hand slithered past the opening, getting a whimper in his mouth and her hips bucking up. She pleaded with him, begged him to do more. She helped him with her jeans and watched with hooded eyes as he slowly took his off in front of her.

She licked her lips, leaning up on her elbows. "Leave...the shirt..." She panted. She watched his muscles work as he propped his arms up on either side of her, harshly swallowing.

He was never going to see this shirt the same way after this was over. She was so initially worried about how her work appeared on him, jumping him when she finally realized exactly how he looked. He mentally vowed to wear it as many times in front of her as possible, just to relish the reaction she was giving him right now.

"God, how I love those noises..." He breathed, lips near her ear. He moved in her as freely as he wanted, hitting the spots that made her cry out the loudest. "You feel so good..."

She clutched at him, his arms crushing her to him when he picked up the pace and pushed against her. He became frantic, as frantic as she currently was. His movements became erratic, her name in his ear driving him on. He was losing his mind, losing himself.

She tried to gasp for air when he pulled away, hearing him breathe her name, his own gasps filling her ears. She watched the hair cover his eyes, the blush on his face, the furrow of his brows, the clench of his jaw. She stared as his chest heaved and his arms tremble. The shirt looked good on him in a way that was absolutely dangerous and she never wanted him to take it off. She memorized these seconds, the heat she felt, the picture he made, the way he sat around her legs.

His eyes peeked open through his heart pounding in his ears, the burning of his legs, the deep exhales to find air. He stared at her, admiring every curve and the way she was returning his glance. He sat like that, in no mood to move as he watched her eyes dance around his new shirt.

She finally sat up, mindful not to make a mess on the couch, and sat on her legs. Her arms draped over his shoulders, taking of his inability to use both of his hands. A lazy smile appeared as she rubbed their noses together. "I...like the shirt...a lot."

He kissed her briefly, lips until to keep his smile away. "As do I." He agreed, deviously grinning. "I suppose it worked out for the better that I put it on in a private hotel room than in front of all of your friends, huh?"

She smirked, but lightly swatted at his chest. She sat back and went for her underwear, legs slightly chilly, as he made to go clean up. She changed into a pair of pajamas, towel around her hair, knowing they wouldn't go out the rest of the night and in no mood to anyway. There wasn't much food in the fridge, but it was late and they should head to bed soon. The next day was going to come all too early and she didn't want to mess it up the way she already had the initial meeting.


	64. The big event

The alarm went off at six a.m. It wouldn't be the first time she had to get up at such an hour due to school or sewing responsibilities, but it wasn't desired when the sun wasn't up.

A mix of groaning and whining accompanied the immediate quiet afterward. She didn't know if hers was louder, or his.

"Good thing you had us get to bed early..." She drawled, a huge yawn escaping.

A hand rose from around her back once she shifted off him and scrubbed his face. "Except you kept us up till practically midnight..."

She yawned again, shaking her head to try and wake up over the call of her pillow within touching distance. Dawn was barely peeking in through the white curtains and she really wanted to squeeze the last few minutes out of night as it disappeared, but they had to get up and start getting ready.

She wasn't going to be late. It was her idea to set the alarm thirty minutes earlier than when she said last night so they didn't have to rush. Had she known that nerves wouldn't let her sleep till the day moved into the next, she would have rethought her decision.

"I'm going to use the shower to wake up." He mumbled, legs sluggishly going over the edge. He stood and stretched, a loud yawn coming from him.

Barely seeing his nude form outlined in the peeking morning should have had her admiring him more if she had been able to get her eyes to open...and stay open. She managed half an acquiescence through a stretch, falling back onto her pillow.

He paused at the open door and turned the light on. "No going back to sleep, PA. I'll need you to start your job soon."

She groaned, clutching his pillow near her face as the light bulb above attacked her eyes. She relented and sat up again, forcing herself to put the pillow back since he was too far to throw it at anyway.

Five minutes past six. It felt like seconds had passed and she knew if she didn't snap to, the day was going to be worse because she wasn't going to be ready for it.

Heaving a sigh, she sat at the edge of the bed and ran a hand through her hair a few times to get it out of her eyes. The sound of the shower tempted her to get up as well and she tossed the paltry shirt onto the bed as she took two steps and entered the bathroom.

It was already steamy and she pouted. She pulled one of the sliding doors away and lightly glared when he looked her way with one eye not soaped up. "Don't use all the hot water!" She groused, immediately stepping in and only slightly wondering how they were going to do this.

His lips twitched as she dunked her head under the spray gave a happy sigh. His arms rose higher than before as he tried to navigate scrubbing the rest of his head while she went for the soap. It was quite the feat, but somehow they managed to clean up. He grabbed one of the towels off the holder and dropped it on her head, letting her get out into the small space first while he went for the other. If he was more awake, he would have admired her drying herself off more than he currently was, but his brain was still partially asleep.

She knew that packing for the weather was just as important as it was to be professional. She didn't know what was expected of a Gabriel company, didn't know how the weather in Milan was. Looking at the internet wasn't going to do justice because humidity percentages meant nothing until you felt just how high they were. She had only been to China, but not enough to remember, and that wasn't a good enough comparison for a place she had never been to.

She stared in the mirror, trying to find the right amount of buttons to undue on the dress to make it proper, yet fashionable.

Teeth bit her lip as she grabbed her hair and tried to find just how to put it. The dress was fine and, in her biased opinion, the perfect setup for the attire. A collar, sleeves, buttons on the top, and knee-length for almost any business situation. The plain, black-and-white checkered pattern gave interest and the snug fit an eye to play with.

"Hmm...ponytail isn't serious enough... Maybe a bun?"

"How about you help me with my outfit and I'll decide that for you?" Green eyes took in the legs and the rest of her behind greeting him. "Where exactly where you hiding such an...exquisite piece anyway?"

She smirked and faced him. Fingers went to the buttons and undid a few, barely letting her bra peek at him, as she looked at his eyes. "It was at home. I used this years ago for a summer collection, but never wore it much. It's kind of business-casual and, as you know, I don't need for a job I don't have." She twirled to the mirror, fingers redoing the buttons.

"Two open and you're good." He idly reported, wanting to kiss the exposed back of her neck.

She looked at him in the mirror for a second before dropping the black mass around her shoulders. "Hmm, maybe I should do my makeup first and see about the hair after."

"You'll need to do mine first." He cracked with a smile. "Keep the humidity in consideration though. I heard it might be warmer today than it will for the entire weekend."

She hummed and rifled through the clothes he had hung up. Everything was already put together and she didn't really need to pick him something. She grinned as she took in the articles, mind whirling.

Where would the fun be in showing up in one of the normal catwalk outfits?

She giggled, ignoring his presence directly behind her and held a shirt out around her for him to take. "Can't have you looking better than me, can I?"

He grinned and took a light, cotton shirt off the hanger. He threw it over a bare shoulder as she grabbed a tan jacket and repeated the process. A brow went up as he took it. He hadn't planned on wearing it to anything fancy like was required for the anniversary stuff. "I was thinking of keeping this for sight-seeing." He commented, adding it with the white shirt resting over his shoulder.

She snorted and grabbed a matching belt, throwing it around his neck and pulling lightly. Her eyes playfully narrowed as he neared, matching her look. "Who's the designer here, Monsieur Agreste? Just be a good boy and try on the outfit before you comment, hmm?"

He was going to be in too much trouble to put on the pants she was in the process of picking out if she kept doing things like that. He abruptly put distance from her lest he find how hard it was to pull that extensive skirt section over her hips. He focused on getting the shirt and jacket on, eventually catching a pair of white pants that almost smacked him in the face. He blinked at them and then her. "I was thinking more of a suit..."

Her arms crossed, nose raising. "You said it was going to be humid and possibly warmer than usual for Milan. I kept the weather in mind, along with today's schedule, and the fact that we'll be in air conditioning for a while." Her fingers drifted down to the curve v-neck design hinting at his collarbone. "I said be a good boy Adrien. So be a good boy and just put on the damn clothes."

"Yes, Mademoiselle..." He murmured, feeling his body react to her sassiness. He quickly grasped her wrist before it could escape his shirt and hit her with the lust escaping his eyes. "You should talk that way more to me tonight...if we're not too tired."

She found her mouth dry at his tone of voice, heart jumping around a few times in her chest. She cleared her throat and quickly moved away lest they forget the day before it was even here...before the sun was even done rising.

"Later Monsieur...later. Now...pants please."

He twirled for her and fiddled with the belt. "This isn't exactly what I was thinking of, Marinette..."

She tsked and took his hand, pulling him to the bathroom. She kept him from looking at himself as she grabbed his styling gel and coiffed his hair to loop back. Exposing his forehead made him appear more bad boy'ish than was probably necessary for the show, but she didn't care about anyone else. She wanted him to look as debonaire as she thought he was in that jacket.

She quickly washed her hands and maneuvered the jacket sleeves up to his elbows. "Do we have a full-length mirror?" She asked, going around him for the other rooms. "We need one. Taking a picture isn't going to be good enough."

He spied a look in the mirror, one ear on her as she kept going on about needing him to see everything all at once for the full picture. The bathroom mirror was usual size, but his tall height allowed him to see most of the pants and he gave a magazine-style smile and snorted.

Damn, she was good...

He left the room when she passed by it, voice turning annoyed as she kept wondering how he could see what she had envisioned in her head. He stopped behind her and trapped her waist in his arms the second she paused and kept her pinned against him. "I love it, my lady." He murmured, pulling her hair aside to kiss her neck. He almost felt her shiver and his lips tilted. "You amaze me every time. I really should listen to you more..."

She wanted to tell him that "of course he should", but her mouth wasn't working. She only managed a choppy nod before getting away before he stole her rational thinking. She cleared her throat again, taking a deep breath, before turning his way. She took in his look, feeling weak in the knees, and couldn't keep away from him. "Too bad...you shaved..." She managed, fingers trailing his jaw.

He gave her a dashing smile and turned his lips to her fingers. "Maybe I won't after this is done since you seem to like my facial hair." His smile dropped, eyes serious.

Her mouth floundered like a fish needing air. She shivered again before yanking her hand away and hurrying to the bedroom for her hair stuff. "Speaking of hair!" She abruptly cut in, stopping in front of the mirror. She moved it atop her head a few times and gave a growl. "Screw it; bun it is!"

He chuckled at her misery, watching her from the doorway as she pinned it up with over a dozen, black pins. It would taunt and torment him all day, but she looked good with her hair up like that and he mentally vowed that they needed to go somewhere fancy before they left so she did it again. Her neck looked a lot slimmer with her hair out of the way and he wanted to run his fingers up that part of her spine.

She quickly did mascara, eyeliner, and a little foundation, but decided to skip the blush. She was doing so enough that she didn't to need to look like a tomato all day! Plus, looking flashy wasn't the point here. She didn't really want any extra attention to herself because of her makeup.

She pulled him outside for better lighting, the sun having come up enough to be properly utilized, and focused more on his eyes to get the brilliant green to pop and be the main accessory for his outfit. The jacket fabric went well with the color of his hair, and it stood out because of the white. The belt gave the eye something to look at with the pants so they weren't considered a jumpsuit. The jacket cut up all the plain white, but made him look like he had gotten a tan for the event. The open collar would drag the eye up, his eyes completing the picture.

One of these days, she might have to try designing him a line, just so she could play dress-up with him like this on a regular basis.

"Am I pretty?" He cracked when she stepped away to critique her work.

"That's an obvious answer, but yes...you're very pretty." She patted a cheek before heading inside and put his stuff away. The clock was a few minutes after seven and she eeped. "We're going to be later than we already are!"

He kept out of the way as she whirled around the room, going for shoes and papers. The dress poofed out with every wide turn and made her waist look even smaller than it already was. He needed to get her out in that dress more often and hoped she'd wear it around school before the year was out.

"I said let's go!" She insisted again, taking a few steps away from the open door. "I'm going to get in big trouble for not having you there on time and the last thing I need is any of them start questioning my abilities! Now put those loafers on that you haven't even seen at the bottom of your feet yet."

It took all of a second and then he strode to her. He patted a bare shoulder and shut the door behind them as she hurried to the stairs. "I'll smooth things out if it ever comes to that, my lady. You'll do fine...just remember to breathe."

01010

" _Adrien_ _is_ _to_ _meet_ _with_ _the_ _press_ _for_ _most_ _of_ _the_ _time,_ _especially_ _in_ _the_ _beginning._ _Please_ _keep_ _him_ _moving_ _if_ _one_ _interview_ _goes_ _too_ _long_ _so_ _the_ _magazines_ _don't_ _monopolize_ _on his time._ _He_ _has_ _to_ _keep_ _them_ _all_ _even_ _so_ _no_ _one_ _gets_ _a_ _bigger_ _scoop_ _than_ _the_ _others._ _There_ _will_ _be_ _other_ _designers_ _here_ _from_ _various_ _continents,_ _so_ _please_ _make_ _sure_ _he_ _greets_ _them_ _as_ _well._ _If_ _you_ _don't_ _speak_ _their_ _language,_ _it's_ _a_ _possibility_ _that_ _Adrien_ _does._ _Just_ _keep_ _to_ _his_ _schedule,_ _get_ _him_ _to_ _mingle_ _where_ _necessary,_ _stay_ _out_ _of_ _sight_ _until_ _you_ _need_ _to_ _move_ _him,_ _and_ _keep_ _him_ _hydrated._ _It's_ _going_ _to_ _be_ _a_ _hot_ _one,_ _so_ _you_ _did_ _a_ _good_ _job_ _in_ _picking_ _out_ _the_ _fabric...although_ _I_ _guess_ _no_ _one_ _told_ _you_ _the_ _room_ _we're_ _using_ _is_ _white..."_

The walls were, but there were enough full-length photos, clothed mannequins, and people loitering around that it was actually much easier to find him amongst all the stereotypical summer colors. His lack of pattern or excessive rainbow usage made him stand out in photos and she was happy that such a detail was there, even though she never considered it.

The smell of sweets lingered, along with expensive perfume that some had put way too much on. It invaded her nostrils and almost made her dizzy a few times, but she powered through it by pretending to fan herself because of the heat from the attendees so she could take a deep breath. San Pellegrino was bubbling away in champagne glasses, but not a lot of them were floating around the room yet. She kept one in a hand once she had a quick second to get to the table, more for Adrien's sake than her own.

The noise level was way too high for the room they were in, but the background chatter became white noise whenever she stood off to the side while Adrien had his picture taken or she could hear him go on in Italian with reporters or random designers. It was hard to pick up her brain from how suave he looked whenever he smiled or laughed at something. Whenever he'd stick one hand in the pocket of his jeans as he chatted; the angle of his jaw when he'd look at someone shorter than him. The way one leg would bend just a little as he shifted whenever he'd be standing for too long for his liking. How he would laugh, almost politely she thought, to something said that she didn't understand.

She didn't think his being at "work" would affect her as much as he was currently doing by the outfit that she had picked out. The adrenaline from acting out a role she had never done, the minutes stretching into hours as she wished the whole thing was done, had her on edge...but part of it was delicious. One wrong move and her facade would evaporate into smoke. It was dangerous and she felt so out of place as she tried to politely do as she was instructed...pretending she had never met Adrien or seen him naked. That everything he was doing, unconscious to her eyes, was stirring up her emotions and making it hard to pretend with everything he was doing.

At one point, the gravity of her job changed as admiration came upon meeting another designer that she also respected...one from China.

She gasped and covered her mouth with the small planner she had for his schedule, eyes wide. She tried to catch her breath and grabbed Adrien's arm, nails gripping his skin as they headed toward Christine Lau.

"That hurts, Mademoiselle PA." He murmured, flinching a little.

Wide blue darted his way as they were steps away from the young designer whose articles she had bought a few of years ago when she was in China. "It's Christine Lau!" She hissed, practically shaking. Her hand shook his, her role dropping. "I didn't know she was going to be here! Oh my god oh my god oh my god! I love her stuff!"

His brows went up as he twisted from the grip that didn't let up. "I take it you're a fan... I'll be sure to introduce you then."

"Don't you dare!" She nearly screeched, face impossibly red. She didn't have time to get herself under control as Adrien walked past her, polite Chinese escaping him. She stood by his side, heart beating almost painfully fast, fingers white-knuckling the planner still in front of her mouth.

"What's your name?"

She yanked the book away from her face, quickly bowing when her mouth didn't work. She shook the woman's extended hand with more exuberance than she should have, unable to control herself. "M – M – Marinette... D – Dupain-Cheng!" She let go and took a step toward the designer, stars in her eyes. "I love your patterns!" She gushed in Mandarin, smile huge. "The ruffles you use, the color schemes, that falbala top style... The sleeve arrangement you made is so interesting and different! The skirts are classic and your colors are so bold on some of your creations." She suddenly jerked herself from mentally being back on the designer's website and her mouth flopped a few times as she realized she wasn't being professional at all.

"I'm happy that you like it. It seems you have an eye for design as well."

"She's been in the business for ten years and counting." He added, ignoring her glare. He looked her way with a smile. "How many people cluttering this room do you think speak Mandarin?"

"That's not the point!" She nearly shouted, shoulders hunching around her ears. She bowed again, unable to make eye contact. "Sorry..."

The woman laughed a little, waving her off. "It's okay. It's nice to be able to talk with someone in my native language, along with someone who has studied my clothing lines."

She let herself relax in the presence of one who felt as laid-back as she appeared and lost herself in ten more minutes of fabric choices and a-line skirts. It was hard to tear herself away, let alone remember exactly what she was here for. She only recalled it when one of the crew stopped at her side.

"Adrien, there are magazine reporters you missed who need interviews before the halfway point is done. We still have the final, group speech and the presentation to give."

She flushed when the crew pointedly looked at her for half of the statement. She quickly apologized to everyone and helped whisk Adrien away with PR. "I'm sorry...I j – just...was too happy to speak with someone in Mandarin...I'm sorry."

"Just don't let any other hitches in Monsieur Agreste's schedule happen again. He's too busy today for you to be stuck on something that YOU like."

No one got a chance to say anything else as PR walked in front and announced the star for their ravenous cameras. She stood off to the side as everyone shoved mics and cameras in Adrien's face, mentally vowing to keep a better eye on things and not slip up again.

With nothing else to do but wander around like some forgotten house dog, she spent the rest of the afternoon watching Adrien whenever she had set him up for whoever else demanded his attention. The start of the main part of the event when he got everyone to quiet down. How his voice echoed around the room as he spoke had her ears open to every syllable of his beautiful voice, though not understanding anything he said. The waving of his hands to accentuate his points or bring everyone's attention to the mannequins in the room. Whenever he walked around the few designs and gave charming smiles as he spoke. Everyone watched him and she watched the faces of others as they stared as well...wondering if they were as entranced as she was.

It was times like these when his full status, family name, and the length of time he'd been in the business got shoved in her face and made her see a side that she usually didn't. She had only seen him on the catwalk that one time Nino snuck her in to see him and she didn't have enough time to enjoy it like she was now. Magazines were the only medium she had witnessed and they were a pitiful comparison to seeing him as the representative for his father's company today. A multi-billion Euro enterprise that she had respected and yearned to be like for years. Ever since she heard Chloe go on in middle school about Adrien and was curious as to whom Chloe was talking about.

Being here was dangerous and the whole time the presentation played, the lights from the slides on the wall playing with his face, she couldn't look away. He looked bored, but watched it anyway with PR by his side. She was off in a corner where she wouldn't be noticed, but she was okay with that. She felt like she was suddenly back at day one, seeing him in person for the first time. Her face was hot, heart beating rapidly, hands clutching the planner at her chest. He was amazing, gorgeous, stylish, caring, quirky, mischievous, kind, and smart.

And he loved HER.

The thought suddenly hit with such gravity that she had to use the nearby wall for stability. The air left her in a whoosh, thankfully hidden by the speakers. Her head was spinning and it felt like the knowledge that she never saw in this way was going to make her pass out.

She had met him in college, though knowing who he was...whom she thought she knew who he was. He acted every part of a normal guy, a hot guy, but a normal guy. There was so much more to him than he ever let on, his status in this job never ever being alluded to. He never discussed his career or went on about his photo shoots or the clothing lines in his closets. He actually hated his college degrees and was only there because he had to be.

But he still looked to be enjoying the company of others. She knew he did; he was a people-person and loved good conversation. There was no wall in front of him when he was with strangers; he talked to them as if they had already broken the ice. She bet that years of experience would be a factor, but that part was also who he was. She was well aware of this because she had seen these things about him...had them memorized already.

She shuffled away without gaining too many eyes and headed for the snack table. She kept her head down the whole way, trying not to get anyone concerned with her. Her brain wasn't working and her mouth had clamped shut for fear of what she'd say. Her heart was swimming in a sudden tidal wave of emotion so strong she worried she'd make a total spectacle of herself and put him in the papers in a bad way. The day was almost over and she didn't want to ruin it now.

She chugged the fizzy water, putting the glass down as delicately as possible lest she break the stem. Hands propped her up on the tablecloth as she pretended to contemplate getting another one, but she was trying not to fall over.

Not here. Not right now. No epiphanies! She had to keep it together!

'Worry about your feelings later!' She mentally chided. His face flashed through her mind, a kind smile directed her way, and she shivered. A hand clutched her chest as it beat almost painfully hard. She harshly swallowed, mouth already dry as she gulped air.

"Are you alright?"

She whirled to her native language in her ear, eyes widening at Christine Lau standing in front of her with a concerned look. She almost knocked all of the glasses over when she bumped the table, scrambling to hold them up.

The metaphor wasn't lost on her.

She cleared her throat and looked to the woman, to kind, brown eyes and a slight smile. There was a sense of sincerity and lack of professionalism that had her mouth flying open, even as her eyes looked across the room.

"I – I think...I m – might have just...fallen in love with someone..." She mumbled, face hot.

 _Marinette's_ _outfit_ _inspiration:_ _amazon com/dp/B06XSDNCK6/ref=twister_B071942DLJ?th=1_

 _Adrien's_ _outfit_ _inspiration:_ _pinterest com/pin/399413060684633896/_

 _Christine_ _Lau's_ _designs:_ _chictopia net/en/shop php_

 _Milan Arts and Events Center: ma-ec it/_


	65. Too long in coming

"I don't ever want to do that again..." She groused, flopping down onto the slightly hard couch.

He smiled at her misery, tossing the jacket on the opposite couch to sit on the coffee table in front of her. A hand reached out and rubbed her back slowly. "You handled it very well, my lady. I'm proud of your professionalism."

She snorted, finally sitting up as his touch started bringing back the afternoon and everything she had shoved away for a job she wasn't done floundering through. "Well...it's almost seven and I'm starving. What's still open in this behemoth of a city?"

The question was more like what was even nearby that they could walk to without having to spend money on a taxi. Prices for eating out ranged greatly depending on the location in the city and the tourist buildings nearby. He hadn't been to Milan for a few years and had lost his edge on knowing what wasn't going to drain him before the rest of the week of fun was upon him. Not that he was hurting for money, or ever spent much on anything to be so broke, but he wanted to save the excessive spending for the funner days.

He pulled up a maps app on his phone and located their hotel, then searched for any restaurant in walking distance. Some shops weren't open yet, but might be by the time they got ready and headed over.

"We're within a short stretch of a few places. Some of them aren't open until seven-thirty, but I think the walk will take care of the time." He looked up, finding her eyes on him. "What do you prefer? Anything you want to eat specifically?"

She shrugged and sat back against the cushions. "I don't eat a lot of Italian so you're going to have to guide me. So long as it's open when we get there and we can get a table, that's what I'm more worried about. I know better than to even worry about price around you right now." She grinned.

His lips pursed as he pondered the best option and decided to go with the one that was close and open right now. It looked like it was just down a few streets, then around the corner. It looked really close on his maps...he only hoped he didn't get them lost.

"Okay. I think I've got it. I'll keep this up so we can find it without too much trouble." He stood and looked to his outfit, then the jacket across the way. He didn't feel like getting anything on white and headed to the room to put something more subtle on.

She leaned on the doorway as he transformed back to the man she had known. His model side hid itself away, though this most recent outfit was still from a past Gabriel catalog. The last few hours seemed like a strange dream, though the clothes he had worn were scattered around the floor. Her heart fluttered in her chest to the point of discomfort at how much she was attracted to him...but not just physically. She wanted him to be that suave at dinner, but she also didn't want to share him with anyone in glaring white either.

"Are you wearing that? Please say yes. I really like that dress on you."

She met his eyes for a second before uncrossing her arms and looking to herself. She held out a leg and went about changing into flats, not wanting to go clacking all over the roads of Milan in heels. He'd be carrying her back and she didn't want any such thing.

Even if such an image made her smile...

She kicked the black heels off and found the pair of black flats that she wore here. She smiled up at him and twirled. "Ready to go." Her smile turned evil. "I'll just leave the purse at home." She stuck her cell in a front pocket, easily hiding it. "This is all I need."

He shook his head with a grin and stopped in front of her, arms going around her waist. "Sneaky little PA... What am I to do with you?"

She leaned into the embrace for a moment, enjoying it until all of her newly discovered, highly buried emotions threatened to spill out. They might not be a bad thing, but right now she was hungry and finally got to spend some alone time with her boyfriend. The last thing she wanted was to muddy everything and make it strange.

She pushed away, forcing a smile, as she turned for the door. "Take me to dinner, most benevolent employer. I need a translator."

01010

Italian wine was good, but she was seriously regretting it right now. One glass should have been more than enough, but she had to go and have two. The first glass came before food, but she sipped the second as she ate.

Eating out had been nice. The food was great without being too pricey, the atmosphere quaint, the dull chatter enough to weave a spell as they sat at a table for two and clinked their wine glasses together. She tried ricotta with honey and mango, a main dish of asparagus ravioli, and had a bite of his linguine to try. The ice cream was smooth and she ended up eating the entire dish despite being too full from the rest of dinner. The second glass soaked in through all of the pasta and cream, silently hitting her brain and exploding when she made to stand. She almost fell down in the middle of the place and made a bigger idiot out of herself than she initially did.

Being a lightweight was going to be her downfall. She had to lean on him the whole walk home, which he took very well thankfully. He helped her out of her shoes and dress, though he was a complete gentleman and never tried anything. Her heart beat hard the entire time he unbuttoned the front of her dress and slid the collar over her shoulders. He helped her out of her bra and got her into a comfy pair of summer pajamas before putting his own jeans with the rest on the floor to clean up later.

She felt good, as full as she was, as fuzzy as her head was. The last few hours with him after being pushed to the side every other second made her feel like they were something more than they had pretended to be all day. The epiphany from the afternoon, the long trek of keeping her emotions hidden, burst free the second she rested on his chest in the dark and listened to his heart beat. Her throat convulsed, tears clouding her vision. He had a shirt on to hide them, but she feared she was going to start crying from being so overwhelmed. Her chest tightened and made breathing near impossible.

It was just after ten and they had to be up by seven for a little later breakfast than today's was, in order to be at the boutique in question by nine for the initial opening and start of the sales. Today's announcement at the gathering would hopefully help the opening numbers. They were supposed to loiter there for about two hours to be seen by as many customers as possible, mingle, and inform all about the sale. Pictures with customers were something he was going to have to do. There were a few more interviews after that, but then they were free to do whatever they wanted for his birthday gift from Natalie and his father.

She didn't know what to do just yet. Right now, the last thing she wanted to do was to be forced out of arm's reach for hours and act like she didn't know him a second time. She had just only blurted out the name to all of this intensity mere hours ago. He would be ecstatic to hear her tell him she loved him, but she had barely come to grips with it herself. At this point, she could barely speak, let alone coherently. All she could do was feel, but it was so much that she was shaking from it all.

She listened to his breathing slow, watched her vision move in time with his chest rising and falling before discretely untangling herself from his hold and shimmying off the bed.

'Maybe some cold air will clear my head... Please let it clear up the wine fog.'

She stumbled through the dark, not having memorized the room enough yet, but not wanting him to wake up from the lights and follow her. She headed for the patio and the slightly cool night air, the lights from other houses doing a fair job illuminating the lower area. The stars were hidden with the city's glow, but the moon was out enough to help her see the table and chairs.

She leaned over the railing, heaving a sigh and wiping her eyes. She sniffled, somehow wiping her nose on the short sleeve, needing a few more breaths before the alcohol was batted away.

Finally in solitude, she rested her forehead on bare arms, feeling like an idiot for almost getting them both caught in a place where she needn't have the most important thought during their short dating time.

Her ears perked up when English suddenly came to her ears and she looked down, finding an open window.

 **I** **know** **that** **we** **have** **been** **through** **so** **much** **pain**

 **But** **I** **still** **need** **you** **in** **my** **life** **this** **time**

The melody was beautiful, the piano piercing her heart. Tears sprung from her eyes and poured down her cheeks as she grasped most of the lyrics, the voice beautiful and pleading, hopeful and sad. Her jaw clenched as she tried to keep from crying out. Fingers clutched at the fabric over her torso as if her chest was being squeezed into nothing.

She slid down the railing, futily grasping the wrought iron as if it would help stabilize her. Her bangs shielded her skin from the metal as she pressed against it, tears littering the stone ground below. It was cold on her knees, but she didn't feel it as the words mimicked her past, threw everything she had done wrong back in her face.

" _You're_ _so_ _precious_ _to_ _me_ _that_ _I_ _can't_ _even_ _begin_ _to_ _describe_ _it._ _I'm_ _sorry_ _that_ _I_ _can't_ _find_ _the_ _words_ _right_ _now_ _to_ _give_ _to_ _you_ _like_ _you_ _need...like_ _you_ _deserve._ _Y – you...mean...so much to me... I...I can't... These...feelings... I can't...the words...they won't...I'm sorry... Th – this is...all I can figure out right now..."_

She was a total idiot. If she ever stopped to think about the last three months they had spent practically attached at the hip, she could've figured it out a lot sooner. She was too busy merely enjoying her time with him, too caught up in the fun and normalcy of it all. Of getting excited at planning his birthday, going out shopping at her parent's store, studying for finals together, discussing ideas for his present, using him as a mannequin, having food and coffee at the nearby cafe, speaking in Mandarin together, all the times in each other's rooms. All the hugs, the kisses, the holding hands, the kind words, the smiles, and the laughter.

If that wasn't love, she didn't know what that was.

 **But** **sometimes** **the** **words** **they,** **they** **come** **out** **so** **wrong,** **oh** **yes** **they** **do**

 **And** **I** **know** **in** **time** **that** **you** **will** **understand**

She had forgotten what it was like to be in love...had only ever been in love once in her entire life. Life with Nathaniel had been so normal by the end of Sorbonne that anything she could have called love was just something she took for granted. Adrien was so much fun, but she never bothered to look below the surface, to ever dissect those times before now. He was normal and although she had accepted his feelings, she had never been so kind in return.

She had kept him waiting for almost two months for words of love from her. She might have shown it somewhere since that morning after the club, might have hinted at it, but never said those three words he had so gloriously bestowed on her that night. He was much braver than she was and took a chance on her, just as she had initially taken a chance on him and then taken him for granted as much as she had Nathaniel.

She was horrible.

"Are you alright?"

She gasped and whirled to Mandarin, hitting her head on the metal when she pressed up against it. The pain was welcomed as she tried to wipe her tears away subtly, gulping air to steady her breathing. To hide that she'd been crying when she bet he must have snuck out as quietly as she thought she had. Had only intervened because he didn't want to hear anymore of it.

 **I** **need** **you** **tonight**

 **I** **need** **you** **right** **now**

He kneeled in front of her, face expressionless, but eyes soft. She stared at him with wide, slightly panicked eyes, feeling tortured and so overwhelmed. He was so close that he could, and did, wipe away her tears. His touch was gentle, soft, and she launched herself at him, almost knocked them both onto the floor below.

"I'm sorry!" She blurted out, arms tight around his neck. The tender pressure of his around her didn't help her predicament. "I'm so sorry! I'm such an idiot! I'm so stupid! I didn't know before now! I'm so sorry!"

He stabilized them and held her steady, one hand rubbing her back a little. "It's okay, Marinette. You're not stupid in the slightest and you have nothing to be sorry for. Just tell me what the problem is so I can help you fix it. Was it today? Was it too much for you?"

Her head shook, burying her face in his chest. His arms were strong and she could feel his muscles against her. It took her emotions and tore the last ability to keep herself afloat in the slightest. "Y – you...you deserved more. Sooner. Much more." She pulled away and kissed him deeply, but he pulled her away and put his hands against her cheeks, wet again with more tears.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, my lady." His brow furrowed a little at her agonizing look. "What happened? You seemed fine all evening long. Did...did I do something?"

Her head shook, then nodded, then shook again. She grabbed fabric in a death grip, hoping it would keep her head solid as she grasped at anything.

 **It** **doesn't** **matter** **if** **it's** **wrong** **or** **right**

 **I** **really** **need** **you** **tonight**

"Y..." She sniffed and took a deep breath. She wiped her eyes and stared at his concern, heart overflowing. "I love you." Her grip tightened and shook. "So much... I didn't know until today. When I – I saw you at the show. You had never looked like that. I n – never saw that side of you. I saw everything else. To see you like that, i – in an outfit I put you in, speaking to everyone in a language I didn't understand...it hit me. It hit me over the head...hard." She looked down, eyes darting over the ground. "I'm sorry th – that I never bothered to say anything until now. I took it all for granted. I'm sorry. It was horrible of me... I should have told you sooner. So much sooner. Y – you deserve so mu-"

His lips finally cut off her rant, holding her so tightly she thought her bones would break.

She returned the touch of his mouth, feeling his own tears falling when her cheek brushed against his. She embraced him just as hard, feeling overpowered by it all. Gratefully drowning in him as much as she wanted.

He pulled away gasping, sniffling. It was hard to catch his breath or find a sense of firmness with as much as he was soaring over Milan right now. Holding her like this wasn't enough; he had to pull her skin into his own body. He couldn't do enough to properly express how she made him feel in these seconds.

He leaned his forehead against hers, hearing a piano from some house below, English slowing down as a song ended. Another one started up just as slowly, more English coming from whatever was playing.

 **I'm** **holding** **a** **fortune**

 **That** **heaven** **has** **given** **to** **me**

"I love you." He whispered, suddenly tugging them to stand. He held her against him with much more care than when her words penetrated his worry. His arms went around her waist and he swayed them to the slow beat that was probably just below. "So much... I can't even begin to describe it so you can understand."

Her arms went around his back tightly. "You can spend the rest of the week describing it to me. I want to spend our time here and do all of the fun stuff that lovey-dovey couples do." She looked up, smiling through her tears. "I want to spend the rest of Milan with you, drowning in just how much I love you, Adrien Agreste."

He gave her the softest smile he could muster, arms going around her back as well. Tears still escaped his eyes as they stood there as the guitar played down.

 **Now** **I** **can** **rest** **my** **worries** **and** **always** **be** **sure**

 **That** **I** **won't** **be** **alone** **anymore**

He didn't know what he had done today to incite such a reaction from her, but he fully intended on capitalizing upon this moment the second they were done with the boutique tomorrow. So many ideas suddenly sprang to mind and he knew he was going to need his phone and wallet for such things to happen. He would make them happen. He would go to any lengths for her, even more than he did when she accepted his feelings in his dorm mere months ago...what felt like a lifetime away from where they were standing now, physically and theoretically.

He looked up to the night sky, slightly amazed at how hard he could fall for someone, how deeply attached he could be despite their beginning. He was thankful he threw out his hurt and his pride for that night which led to so much more...to this moment with her on his birthday.

It would be hard to top next year and his lips twitched at the thought.

"Come on...let's go to bed." He murmured, fingers entwining with hers before he tugged her back inside.

 _Restaurant: Ronchi78 it/_

 _Song_ _1:_ _I_ _need_ _you_ _tonight,_ _Backstreet_ _Boys_ _youtube com/watch?v=Cy9utGyUw-k_

 _Song_ _2: Now and forever, Richard Marx youtube com/watch?v=5MVr6Y595qg_


	66. Day off, number one

It was hard to act professional knowing that the person who just confessed her love was mere feet away from him for hours on end. They weren't allowed to hold hands, kiss, hug, or even be that close. She didn't know Italian, so she had to stand off to the side for the most part while he did his thing with PR. It was agony, and he was glad the whole damn thing was over.

The reporters were done with their incessant questions. His mini fan club taken a sleuth of selfies with him. He had signed enough autographs to give him carpel tunnel. His ears were nearly ringing from the noise of speaking and regaling past times of when he wore the outfits on display. Doing all the legwork had helped sales for most of the people that came in to see him, which should help out his father's shareholders a bit.

Now was the time for fun.

"Let's go get ice cream!" He gaily announced, tugging her wrist the second they got out of the car.

She almost fell and tried to catch her balance. "Wait...stop!" She stumbled, but he hurried to keep her upright, blazing smile on his face. She scrambled away from him with others possibly being in eyesight, though she didn't want to do so. "You need to go get changed, Monsieur. If you're going out, those clothes don't exactly scream 'incognito day out'."

He looked down and shrugged. "Then I need help, Mademoiselle PA."

Her lips twitched as she let herself get dragged back to their room. His mood was infectious, or hers was to him. Any time she snuck looks at him surrounded by shoppers, her jealous tendencies were always cooled down whenever he'd subtly wink or smile her way. She'd give him a lovey-dovey look and blush, fiddling with the planner at her spot away from everyone. The few shoppers that tried to approach her left at the message Adrien had scribbled for her, letting her tell them she didn't speak Italian. A few spoke French, but not many.

The corner of that store allowed her to admire him as much as she wanted, but she feared it would leak out too much. One of the female shoppers who did speak French gushed about her getting to work with Adrien and it was the only time she got to express a little emotion, worded to make it seem like it was a great honor for him to be her boss. It allowed her to express herself just a tad...frustrating him when he saw and couldn't do anything about it.

"You keep that dress on though." He suddenly announced, closing the door behind them. He swooped her up in his arms, abruptly kissing her and pressing her against him. "I really like the color..."

Her lashes fluttered open, face warm. She looked to soft emerald green, the color of deep forests. Her eyes flickered across both of his until the corners of his eyes crinkled with his smile and he kissed her again.

Her fingers tightened on his shirt as his tongue found hers. She couldn't take this! It was so strong, so enveloping, that she couldn't find the air to breathe! It was great, though it was intense. He released her mouth and she gulped air, feeling herself to a tad light-headed against him.

He caught her stumble, smiling at the look on her face. She was dazed, flushed, thoroughly kissed. His hand strode up the back of her spine, lightly taking its time to the back of her neck. She wore her hair up in that delectable bun again, but the collar on her jacket hid part of it. He found the rest and let a nail brush over her skin, watching her shiver.

There was nothing better than this...aside from the adventures they could get into together before they had to go home. France was so far away for more reasons than a plane ride and he wanted to leave it where it was. School could go to hell and the shortly coming fall catalog was something he cringed at. He didn't want to think of what was coming up in a few months time, what would steal his attention from her when right now he never wanted to take a step out of her arms and visa versa.

Right now though...ice cream and sight-seeing called!

He stepped back with a quick kiss to her forehead, heading for the bedroom with his suitcase. She followed without a word, heart still racing in her chest. She almost worried the jacket would be too much, despite it being white and wouldn't attract too much heat. The dress itself was pink and wasn't too bad either, but there might be air conditioning at wherever they were going, and the straps on the dress were barely three fingers wide. Her calves showed and she was already cold in the boutique; she didn't want to keep that up all day.

"So, my lady, what do you recommend for our first day off?"

She mentally shuddered out of her stupor and went into design mode. "Is it supposed to be hot today?"

He let her rifle through the shirts on the hanger as he went for his phone. "Humidity seems to be about ten percent lower than yesterday. Looks like it might rain by evening..." He slightly winced. "Guess the stop after ice cream is off to buy umbrellas."

She smiled and handed him a sky-blue shirt, figuring the dark pants wouldn't be a big deal. "You mean umbrella. We won't need two..."

His eyes softened as she fidgeted a little in her blush. A hand came up to lightly clasp her neck and hold her still, lips meeting her forehead through her bangs. "Of course. Just one is good enough." His eyes playfully narrowed. "After all...the charade is over now, right? We can act however we want."

A raven brow rose. "You're looking a tad too devious for your own good right now, Monsieur." A finger playfully jabbed his ribs, getting a yelp before he went to change. Her arms crossed as she ogled his back muscles, the shirt tight enough to hide nothing. "Do I even want to know what's going around in that head of yours?"

"Aside from the few ways I'd like to take that dress off you?" He cracked, fingers deftly buttoning him up. He stopped in front of her and looked down, fingers raising her chin up. He leaned down a little, eyes burning and as her smile dropped. He could feel her breath on his face, could sense the anticipation from her, see her shiver. She didn't do anything to shove him away and actively looked ready for all of those ideas he would consider...but...later.

He let go and turned for the door, grinning. "I'll figure something out as we eat."

She blinked, feeling cold and solitude. The heat that started her on low boil simmered down to lukewarm.

Her eyes narrowed, realizing he played her on purpose and she hopped on his back before her head could dictate her actions. She wrapped her arms around his neck for stability, hearing his surprised cry.

"Jackass!" She retorted, squeezing his neck. He coughed and she slid down his back for the ground. A hand slapped his back before she rounded him with a pout, eyes nearly in slits.

He fingered his throat gently, taking a deep breath after she let him do so. He would've never considered such fire, but knew better than to rile her up like that again without proper payment.

Once he recovered, he took a hand and lightly kissed the back of it, other arm sweeping out amidst his bow. "My apologies, my lady." He murmured, lips just above her skin. The intake of air above had him smiling. He straightened and tugged her to him again, threading her fingers through his. "Next time I spout such good ideas, I'll be sure to act on them so as not to make you upset with me."

She let him kiss her and she attacked his mouth on purpose, trying to turn him around as much as he started to seconds ago. His hold changed, his arm possessively going around the back of her waist. She took that time to take a step away, grinning at the hungry look in his eyes. "Be sure you do, Monsieur. I don't like being taunted when I'm about to thoroughly enjoy something." Her eyes softened, hand moving to cup his cheek. Her thumb moved over his cheekbone, disregarding her callouses. "Now...how about we go enjoy a lover's afternoon together, Adrien Agreste."

A smile burst from his face before he could think. His free hand went to the back of his neck at the sudden sense of bashfulness at her words. She squeezed his fingers, smile matching his. Her face warmed a little as they both lost themselves in their emotions for each other. "Yea." He happily agreed. "Let's go."

01010

The amount of places around their hotel was staggering. Restaurants, shopping centers, libraries, theaters, art galleries, ruins, and national monuments. Some were a short bus ride away, others probably a better idea by taxi. They even had a Chinatown near the Arch of Peace! He listed off the things within walking distance, trying to figure out how tired she wanted her feet before tomorrow's next bout of adventures came upon them.

"Art gallery!" She quickly announced, eyes shining. She clutched the spoon in her hand, a bright smile on her face.

He chuckled and zeroed in on the restaurant's location to check the walk. "Why am I not surprised?"

She giggled and took another bite of gelato. "Anything good that we can walk to?"

He turned his phone her way, getting wide eyes. "We can always start at the Royal Palace and go from there. If we get too tired, that's what the bus is for."

"Ooooo." She snatched his phone and moved the view. "What's a Duomo di Milano? Looks like an old building."

Her pronunciation was horrible, but he smiled at the attempt. "A really old cathedral." He pulled up the website and let her look at it.

"Six hundred years?!" She blurted out, quickly hiding behind his phone. She cleared her throat and slowly handed it back. Excitement quickly bubbled in her veins and she wished she had brought her sketchpad. "I say we do that next! We need to stop by and get me a new notebook and charcoal pencil. Maybe some hairspray while we're at it."

A brow went up. "Hairspray?"

She grinned around the spoon. "When you're an art student, you find out ways to make art supplies cheap." She quickly put another bite in her mouth when Nathaniel's name and how it was his idea almost left her lips. "I doubt the art museum would have the spray artists typically use, but they'll probably have sketchpads."

01010

She had been to enough galleries with Nathaniel during her time in Sorbonne to know that when you had a bout of inspiration and desperately needed to get it on paper, galleries often times had something in the gift shop.

They must have thought of that, too.

"Don't move. I want the lighting as it is." She called out, hand working as quickly as she could.

"When you said you wanted a new sketchbook, I didn't think it was for this."

"You won't be disappointed." She confidently replied, eyes jumping from the paper to his side profile. "Just keep looking like that and don't lose that wistful, slightly awed look on your face."

He snorted. "I'll try not to. Not that I know what it looks like."

She smiled, pencil moving as quick as it could. "In about five minutes, you're going to."

His cheeks heated a little at the amount of attention she was bestowing. The last time she had used him for anything concerning her talent was his birthday present. He liked the different type of fawning, similar to his father's company, yet all her. It was nice and he wanted to look her way, but didn't want her upset because he ruined the "bout of inspiration that she really wanted to capture on paper". He didn't know how she was going to put him and the general surroundings on that medium-sized sketchpad, but knew she was going to figure it out. She was an accomplished and very talented art student with years of experience.

"All done." She announced, proudly shoving it in his face.

The immense pillar he was almost leaning against took up maybe a fourth of the left side. She had given him a bust look, not going past his upper arms. His head was angled up enough to try and take in the ceiling stories above, the sun from the afternoon shining down through whatever stained glass one could find high above. The lighting wasn't that good and shadows of all degrees littered past his cheekbones, bringing out the side profile as if he had a twin.

He was awed in every sense of the word. It was his visage in perfect detail, jumping off the page at him. He barely felt himself take the book, only remembered to blink when his eyes hurt.

"Okay, give it back before you smudge everything." She took it away and second later, he heard the rattle of the hairspray bottle as she permanently locked in the drawing.

He waved away some of the cloud coming his way, coughing what entered his nose. "Don't do that again." He mumbled, looking around. "I can't imagine the clergy would be too happy with you doing that in the house of god."

She paused, eyes widening and quickly looked around them. Some people were giving disapproving looks, but didn't come over. "Ah...duly noted. Sorry..."

He shook his head and stood. "It's a beautiful likeness, my lady."

She smirked and put the cap back on the pencil, tucking everything under an arm. "Because it's your face?"

He rolled his eyes and plopped a hand on her head. "Because your talent is absolutely amazing. I've had portraits done with less ability than your basic charcoal sketch. Most photographers would be jealous of your talent."

She gave a sideways grin as they headed deeper into the huge structure. She entwined her fingers with him, stopping in the center of the columns and staring at a statue of Jesus. She kept her eyes on the white marble, head nearing him. "Do you think the clergy would be mad if I sketched this?" She loudly whispered.

He snorted. "How about you keep any possible levels of blasphemy and illegality to a minimum?" He looked around at the others standing almost in earshot. "I don't want my face, which is still highly recognizable if you hadn't forgotten, in the papers because you have a bout of inspiration."

She pouted, but smirked. "I guess I'll have to make do with you then." She pulled the pencil out of the spiral confines and looked around. "Where's a good spot...?"

He stepped closer, hand cradling her chin. "How about here?"

Her heart abruptly somersaulted in her chest, a silly smile popping up. It took a minute for her to remember where they were and that she had a brain and a mouth to use. "D – do you think...god would have a problem with me kissing you here in public?"

His eyes softened. "I don't think The Almighty would have a problem with you or I showing how much we love each other to people." His thumb caressed her cheek, lips lowering a degree. "Especially since I'm sure He knows just how much I want to hear you speak of how much you love me..."

Her heart double-timed and she almost dropped the pad. His lips were light and brief. She wanted to yank him down, but her limbs were too numb with happiness to do so.

"I'm waiting..." He breathed, watching her eyes flutter open.

She found green close to hers and her head shut off. "I love you, Adrien..." She whispered, adrenaline on high. Her lips tilted. "Under the presence of everyone. Under the eyes of god and the clergy...I love you."

His eyes teared through his smile. He hadn't realized he was holding his breath until his lungs hurt. "I love you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng." He whispered back, hold on her cheek increasing. He wanted to kiss her again, but forced restraint and shuffled away. His hand fell down, down, down, until it found her fingers and gave her hand a squeeze. "Now...where should I sit next?"

She stared at him for what felt like forever. She forgot about the book dangling in her fingers or the people making background noise around them. Only when she blinked, a great idea coming to her, did she pull her eyes away from his. "Over there..." She mumbled, pointing to one of the benches against a pillar. "And...keep that look on your face. Whatever you're feeling right now, keep looking at me like that."

"That I can do. Gladly and forever." He smiled as he walked to where she pointed, crossing one leg over the other in order to prop his chin up with his arms and direct his undivided attention on her.

She licked her lips, hand floating out and moving on its own. Capturing for what she would spray into eternity a look so tender and loving that she had to blink back tears after a while.

When she was done only moments later, she stared at the drawing so real she knew she would look at it in times when she was alone because work had called him from her side. Had pulled him away from her, had briefly stolen his love and this look. What her own workload would force her to do on occasion, doing the same to him...torturing them both.

She couldn't breathe properly. Her ears were ringing, the blood roaring in them and drowning out everything around her. She wasn't even aware he had stopped in front of her until his hand made to take the pad out of her hands.

She let him take it and he was careful not to touch anything that had charcoal on it. Again, she made him jump out of the page at himself. The lighting above played with his hair, with the underside of his neck and cast shadows on his clothes. The bench he was on was left forgotten for the absolutely caring look she had put down perfectly.

"I hope that someday...you'll make something like this that I can have..." He murmured, slowly handing the book back.

She idly nodded, being careful not to smudge anything. "I...I still need...to go spray it..."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gently tugged her to the doors. "How about we go outside and you can find some more places to draw me?"

She smiled and nodded. She had a feeling before this trip was over, she was going to need to buy another sketchpad.

 _Marinette and Adrien's outfit inspiration: i pinimg com 236x e3 0d 72 e30d7257f4c6e80600879744b7d73f24—life-is-good-heartstrings_

 _Art gallery: palazzorealemilano it/wps/portal/luogo/palazzoreale_

 _Cathedral: duomomilano it/en/photo360/the-duomo-cathedral-pulpit/14/_


	67. Getting unnecessarily prepped

The last few days had been fun. They woke up together, got ready together, had breakfast together, found adventures together, had lunch together, laughed together, made fun of each other, stole kisses, and teased each other over dinner. They found ways to make each other nervous, excited, and happy. They did things to each other when they thought the other one wasn't looking, but it only made them more thrilled upon discovering it.

She filled her first sketchbook whenever he was asleep, somehow getting him in the dark by light of her phone. She had enough light to see his form in bed and then put it down on paper, but still capturing enough "moonlight" to make the drawing realistic. He only knew she was doing it when she stated she needed a new pad because the other one was full. He had only ever seen her draw him when they were out and when he snatched up the book despite her instances of him not peeking, he found himself on every page, filling both sides. The poses ranged from innocent to a hard on he had in his sleep.

Because she stayed up at random hours of the night, he would wake up before her, a common thing being a morning person, and just stare at her asleep. His fingers always ended up floating out to touch her cheek, the exposed part of her back, through a tendril of hair in her face. It always brought tears to his eyes at how much he loved her and he woke her a few times with his touch, getting immediate cuddles whenever she found out why he was doing what he did.

During the break of dawn, when half of the trip was over, he wondered how things would have went if he never invited her to go. If he assured her that his birthday party could happen at a later date and left her in Paris. If he kept her in the hotel and did the meetings while she remained cloistered away inside. If he let her go out and explore while he was gone and met her at the room later. If she kept such a grip on her feelings that she never confessed to him when he found her on the balcony that night. If the epiphany had never come to her because she was so focused on doing her job and not messing up.

So many things that could have never led to this feeling which had encompassed him for the entire time they had together. To such a degree of happiness which he had never known with another woman, let alone another human being. Words of love were becoming trivial, but there wasn't another way to express himself so she could understand. Making her feel amazing was only a pitiful degree.

He wanted to shout from the top of the many cathedrals of his love for her. How much she had given him by being in his arms, by having someone interesting to talk to, by allowing him to give his emotions to someone he trusted. He would never have a family, never have parents he loved to the degree with which he felt for her. That made her so much more important than almost any person he knew and he would consider her for so many things in the future which he knew he would never do had she never thrown away her previous relationship to bet on him and theirs.

He wished the moments of such deep emotion and her blue eyes full of love wouldn't end and they didn't have to go back home, but the dawn of the last morning here was rising without his okay. He wanted to stop time with her sleeping away at his side, with his head propped up on his arm over the pillow. With his fingers tracing the curve of her back so lightly so he didn't wake her up. He had caught her trying to drawn him again about one this morning and she didn't finish until almost two. She was tired and he didn't want her waking up cranky.

Not on the last day they had here together.

They had a mid-morning flight back to Paris...first class, of course. He wished Natalie had scheduled it for as late into the evening as she could, but she told him she didn't want him tired for when he needed to make it back to his dorm. She didn't want the driver out until all hours of the evening like he would be in a few short months. Even though classes didn't start until the middle of September and they had all of July and August to worry about it. He had half a mind to cancel the current flight and rebook a new one for another two weeks out, but his "PA" would need to get back for other work after all.

Not to mention she hadn't done any sewing work since they arrived.

She hadn't looked at the website to check for orders and when he asked about it one night, she mentioned she had posted that she was on a brief vacation and would be back at the time she stated on the website. She had temporarily closed down her business with apologies and hopes for new ideas to put up when she returned...all so she could spend time with him.

The gesture wasn't lost on him. She had continued to make good on her word and he took it to heart.

" _It_ _wasn't_ _supposed_ _to_ _be_ _this_ _way!_ _I_ _used_ _work_ _as_ _an_ _excuse!_ _I_ _know_ _'sorry'_ _isn't_ _good_ _enough!"_

" _If you needed space, I gave it to you. I was doing nothing next to you and I finally saw the pointlessness in it all. You had no time for me...you made no time for me."_

" _Let me change it. You do have a point and meaning in my life. I'll show you. I don't know how yet, but they said to be honest and compromise. I'll try."_

He had almost made the biggest blunder of his life and he was thankful for fate stepping in and riling up his emotions for her before he could burn them to ashes in the darkest parts of his heart. He had done a lot of stupid things in his now twenty-three years of life, but throwing away his possible future wasn't one of them...would never be one of them.

After all of the art galleries, cathedrals, restaurant, parks, and shopping malls they had been to over the last few days, he felt like there was more to do. Like he was missing out on a huge opportunity to shower her with the amount of love and affection that she deserved...that she showed him every moment of the day since her declaration of love. He could see very clearly in those open, blue eyes just how much she loved him...had probably been in love with him before she named those emotions.

He wanted to pay her back for everything. For all of the fun, the adventures, the smiles, the laughter, the time together. He didn't think such a thing would happen during their time here, but it now made Milan special in a way he would never forget. She had once again taken mundane memories of his time abroad and altered them to be unforgettable.

She had heightened his love by speaking of her own and became his most important person. No one else was so special to him, not any of his Milan friends, nor Chloe or Sabrina. Definitely not his father and certainly not a mother who left him to a broken household. Marinette had no idea exactly how precious she was.

He almost wanted the morning to come faster, if only so they could set out as quickly as possible. He had made the reservations when he stole a moment away, having thought of all the nearby places that she might like, which they had yet to visit.

There was one thing he didn't know if she'd like. He had gone a few times when he was trotting around the globe, mostly out of curiosity and a way to spread his face per his father's wishes. It wasn't the most amusing or exciting thing on the list of places they'd been to...but he was going to find out how she felt about the opera.

It was going to be a surprise. He didn't want to spoil it in case she didn't like it, but he also really wanted to see her all dolled up in a gorgeous dress with her hair done, her arm daintily entwined in his. The whole thing was going to be in Italian and she wouldn't understand a word of it though. This was more an outing to spend with Nino, but he wanted to share this musical interest that he had with her as well. Nino and he could do something else when he felt like parting from her side.

Nino was going to have a while to wait for that though...

His lips twitched as she stirred, the fingers going across her cheek too ticklish to keep her from noticing. Perhaps he could use this as a sign that it was time to wake up.

"Good morning, my lady..." He breathed, leaning near her ear. He gave her temple a kiss, getting a groan from her.

"What time izzit?" She whined, face burying itself in the pillow.

He couldn't help his smile. He looked to the clock, grimacing just a little and wondered if she was going to chew him out. "Almost six thirty..."

She growled as loudly as she could with her features covered by the pillow and clutched it tighter around her face. She mumbled something about waking her up at such an ungodly hour...or what he caught around cotton and feathers. Then she was quiet and he was sure she was stubbornly trying to go back to sleep until the alarm actually went off at seven-thirty.

He shrugged, figuring it wasn't going to do them any good to go out shopping this early in the morning, no matter how anxious he was to get started. He wanted to find just the right dress for her and wasn't above touting her around Milan to do so.

He only hoped she agreed to let him pay for it, since she probably had something at home and just didn't bring because she didn't think she'd need anything really fancy. She could make anything she wanted, but...just this once...he wanted to buy her something she could do on her own. She already did so much that he felt he fell short. There was nothing special he could buy her, aside flowers maybe, and he made a mental note to see how quickly he could have a bouquet delivered to the front desk for him to keep until he wanted to give to her.

He got up and let her sleep until the alarm deemed it a more proper time for her eyes to open. He leaned on the railing as he scrolled through his phone, looking up shops that opened the earliest and may have what he needed. He didn't need yet another suit since he had brought one for the show. It was a basic black jacket-slack set with a white shirt. Maybe he could get a new set of cufflinks and tie to go with it...

"G'morng..."

Arms encircled his waist, a light thump from what must be her forehead hitting the center of his back. He smiled and put his phone away, patting her arms with his free hand. "Good morning, my lady. Did you sleep well? As well as you could for being up sketching me again and me waking you up, I suppose..."

"I need large amounts of coffee because of you." She growled, the dawn mostly kept at bay with his t-shirt.

He quietly laughed, the morning dew bringing humidity to the higher level they were at. The morning was crisp, the sky blue, the rain from the last few afternoons wafted from the ground below, his love at his side.

Please...let time stop...

He turned and leaned against the railing, getting a light headbutt to his ribs as she buried her face in his shirt and tried to block out the sun again. "I think I can manage coffee." He pleasantly acquiesced, hands rubbing her back to keep her warm. Her pajamas were long in the leg, but short in the arm and a light cotton. He didn't want her getting sick before his plan went into action. "Hungry for any food right now?"

"By the time I wake up and we get out of here, I will be." She yawned and rested her chin against his torso, giving him a sleepy smile in her disheveled state. "Good morning, Adrien."

"Good morning, Marinette." He bent down and kissed her forehead as well as he could with her shorter stature. "You may want to get started going if you want food. I have big plans for our last day here and want to get started."

She yelped as he gave her backside a firm pat before shifting away from her. "Why do you always have to slap my ass?" She bit out, stomping her foot lightly into the stone at her feet.

He turned to smirk at her. "We've been over this, but I can certainly give you a refresher if you want. I can add that to my plans, but that's for later. We're going to be busy, busy, busy."

A raven brow rose and she followed him back inside to look slightly presentable. "Where are we going?"

"Those are all surprises and none of which you'll get out of me until we get there."

She gave him a dry look as he shucked his pajamas off for the shower. Her arms crossed for a second before he went for the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up over her arms. Her arms went over her head until one hand lightly slapped at his fingers toying with a nipple. "Something tells me I need to stay suspicious today."

He smiled and went for her bottoms, but she pushed his hands away and did it herself. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about. This is going to be a mutually fun day for both our sakes. I promise you that before the evening is over, you'll be crying tears of joy...hopefully."

She almost warily followed him into the bathroom, waiting until the water was hot enough so she didn't freeze first thing.

01010

"Why does it have to be red?"

"Because I like you in red. A lot actually. Besides, it's part of your business colors."

"So is black, but there's no black on this."

"I've got the black taken care of. Plus, your hair is black so you're good."

"There are so many other dresses that are so much shorter and fit me better thank this! Why does it have to be red? All of the red ones are for people stretched out on the rack!"

He snorted, eyes rolling. "We are not and I slightly resent that remark." He stepped past the the retail worker, eyes roaming the curves the dress was a little snug in spots, but loose in others. It would never look as good because it wasn't tailored to her exact size, but it would have to make do. He bet if they tried one size up, it might be good enough, perhaps a tad loose to let her skin breathe. Maybe if they did that, he could see about having it tailored for her.

A hand lightly grabbed a chunk of hair and let it fall like water off his fingers over a shoulder. "I bet if you put your hair in rollers and then tied it off at one side, this would be the perfect dress." His other hand came down and latched onto her waist. "See? I can find the curve of your side just fine..." His fingers trailed up the back where the dress stopped just under her shoulder blades. "Plus, I can do this..." He murmured, watching her shiver with his light touch.

Her face was beginning to match the dress and she bet that if he kept up those little actions of his, it would continue to to do so all night!

She quickly took a step back and looked away, slightly pouting. "I wish you would have told me that I needed fancy clothing for tonight. I already made a very nice, red, off-the-shoulder dress that's sitting in a bag in my closet just collecting dust."

"Hindsight is twenty-twenty." He waved off, circling her. The dress was supposed to be just floor-length, but she was too short for that and it slightly fanned out over the floor. He looked to the retailer, brows furrowed in thought. "Is there any way to have this tailored in a few hours?" He asked in Italian.

She listened to him discuss something with the staff, arms getting goosebumps at the other language. She jumped when his hand suddenly went for the skirt, hoisting a small chunk of it in the air. She batted his hands away with a glare. "I'm not too sure I want to buy this."

"I'm buying it."

"I'm not too sure I want YOU to buy this." She amended.

"There's no choice you have in the matter, my lady, so just enjoy me spending money on you."

She gave him a dry look. "You already spent fifteen hundred Euro on a plane ticket for me!"

"That was for my birthday. This is strictly for you."

She looked to the ceiling as if for help. There was no talking him out of this!

Not like the dress itself was bad. The design was classic, the back not that low to be unfitting for most places. The color was simple, and the lace at the train in the back not too high to be unseemly. The dress might work if it was about six inches off the floor, was pulled in a little at the bust, and there was a lot more satin fabric at the shoulders to account for the scratchiness of the lace which she knew might make her bleed before tonight was over.

She stared at it again, wishing she could get to a sewing machine and do the alterations herself. It would look a lot better and then she might feel a little less put out at him doing something totally unnecessary. He knew very well that this wasn't something they should be doing, but he hadn't thought ahead enough to consider going out. She would say they could just scrap it, but he had her curiosity peeked and she wanted to do whatever mysterious activity he had planned tonight. She could hazard a few guesses, but didn't want to over-think things and spoil his surprise.

"Okay. Someone is going to take your measurements and send it off to be hemmed. We can pick it up later before tonight's activity in plenty of time for me to get dolled up, too."

She raised a brow at him. "Have the employee get a piece of paper, then translate this to Italian for me." She waited until such a thing happened and then started saying in exact detail the things she knew needed to be done to the dress. She shot him a triumphant look once the employee was done and all the numbers looked to be down okay. "I don't need no stinking seamstress." She haughtily declared with a grin.

He snorted and put his hands on her shoulders. "You're a smart cookie. I get it. Now go get changed so they can get this thing sent out asap and get it done."

She did as told and in moments exited to find him nowhere near the dressing room. She rolled her eyes, wondering if he planned on scaring her, but found the top of his head in the men's section. "Why are you in here? I thought you said you had a suit."

"I do...but I think a new pair of cuff links and a different tie are called for." He smiled her way. "Care to help, Mademoiselle PA?"

She smirked and looked to the spread in front of them. There were dozens to choose from, from ultra fancy with stones or outright idiotic rubber duckies. For the store being fairly fancy with tuxes, dresses, and cuff links, it was odd to see such strange designs.

"Got a favorite animal?" She asked, brow raising at the selection. "And in gold or silver?"

"Cats over dogs. And the metal doesn't matter." His nose wrinkled. "Just don't get me my initials. That's not my style."

She gave a thoughtful hum, stopping when she locked eyes on an onyx design of a black cat's head with little emeralds for the eyes. It was basic, fancy, and look to cost one hundred Euro.

"Those. Your suit is black so it'll make the eyes stand out." She pointed and stepped aside when he leaned down. "Plus, it's simple."

"I'll take them. It'll make a nice souvenir gift from tonight." He located the retail employee from her spot behind the desk, waiting until she hung up the phone to call her over. He translated the item and let Marinette hold onto the box for now. "Okay. Off to the tie rack."

She picked him out a tie that matched his eyes and the eyes of his new cuff links. He picked out a matching, silk scarf for the pocket and paid for everything.

She gasped at the bill coming out to just over five hundred Euro.

Her eyes could have popped out of her sockets! She just knew that was because of the dress! No way would a single pair of cuff links cost that much. She had seen the price and they were about a hundred...the tie and scarf coming up to maybe half of that.

She grabbed his arm and squeezed harder than she meant to. "I don't want that expensive of a dress!" She hissed, eyes pleading. "PLEASE don't spend that much money on me! You already have spent so much as it is! I feel bad! I probably won't wear it that much after this! Let me just wear my checkered pattern one."

He gently pried the nails out of his skin and patted her hand. "I do this because I want to, my lady. You need only smile and say 'merci'. And I'll say 'de rien' and kiss you on the lips."

She flushed at the eyes of the retailer behind the counter, the bag still sitting there. She pouted and looked to his hand holding hers, threading their fingers together as she watched. She was quiet for a moment, not wanting to say it, but forcing herself to say it. "Thank...you..."

"You're welcome, my lady." He did as he said, then took the small bag the employee held out. He tugged her to the exit door with promises that they be back later to check the fitting and call him the moment it was ready. "Now...we can find a salon that'll do your hair for you, or we can go buy you some hot rollers."

She threw her free hand in the air before covering her face with it. "Stop! This is too much! I can figure something out that doesn't require lugging all of this back home! I'll never use hot rollers again in my entire life! I don't even have anything at home now! I can probably do something if I braid my hair wet and then blow dry it real quick."

"Don't question me. This is as much for me as it is for you, Marinette." He gave her hand a squeeze and held on a little tighter to the bag. "Now. Rollers. I've already got the place looked up."

01010

She didn't want to say anything. She could feel his eyes, could see the smug smile on his face through the mirror. She didn't know what "donne bellissime" was, but it must be a good thing based on the retailer's starry eyes.

She looked like a million Euro and she was never going to live it down that she almost wouldn't let Adrien pay for it.

Tailoring always made a big difference and she knew this. The skirt part now looked like she wasn't a little kid trying on her mother's clothes, her chest actually existed in the right proportions, and someone did what they could to sew on a few thin strips of cloth under the lace.

"I usually don't get to toot my own horn, but don't mind if I do right now."

She ignored the horrible attempt at a bugle call, face heating a little. She glowered at his sense of humor through the mirror, mouth scrunching up.

"Alright...I like the dress and it was a good buy."

His hand instantly plopped down on her hair and ruffled it. He stepped away when she made to whack his arm and grinned. "Ah...it feels so good. Yes it does."

"Shut up!" She mumbled, arms crossing. "You were right. I'll admit it. The dress looks good...even if I'm not a fan of the bill."

"Don't act like you don't charge your customers that much for something."

"For something like this? Maybe two hundred tops unless there are a lot of random adjustments to do. Even then, that'd just be another twenty Euro."

She changed from the dress and her mouth fell open as Adrien gave it back to the retailer. When she asked him what he was doing with it, he reported that he was paying to have someone deliver it to the hotel since they had another stop to do.

"It's almost noon!" She cried out once they reached the street. "I'm hungry and tired! Don't tell me we're off to buy me more stuff!"

He smiled and pulled her against him. His arm went around the small of her back, lightly rubbing. "You better bet we are. Last stop. No complaining. Consider it either a late or early birthday present...whenever it is. Or Noel. Or add them both together. Or some six month anniversary gift." His smile softened as he pulled upset eyes to his. "I doubt I'll be able to spend money on you like this for a long time to come, so stop fighting me on this. I get to lavish you with things that we both know will look good on you." He gave a quick kiss before stroking a cheek. "You're too talented for me to pamper you normally."

"Back rubs do a good enough job." She groused.

"Duly noted. Maybe tonight after this is all over." His eyes playfully narrowed. "I do believe I needed to give you a refresher about why I keep slapping you on the butt."

Hands slapped over her face with a groan...even if she couldn't keep from smiling at his horrible sense of humor.

01010

"You're not buying this for me. I refuse to wear it!"

"But you look gorgeous with it on."

"It's two hundred Euro!" She screeched.

He grinned. "And I'm filthy rich. So what's your point?"

She stomped her foot with a whine. "I can't accept this..."

He plopped his hands on her shoulders with a grin. "I said no complaining. Plus, it's fate. They're ladybugs. You can't tell me that we weren't supposed to come here and buy these."

It was a ladybug hanging off a fourteen carat, simple gold chain with matching, eighteen carat earrings. It was a good thing she had her ears pierced, but they wouldn't work for what he wanted her to do with her hair. If she curled it and then tied it off near an ear, one of them was going to constantly get stuck in her hair all night and she would only think of that and get irritated.

She jumped when he shifted away and started talking in Italian to the lady behind the counter.

She grabbed a sleeve. "Please don't buy them!" She nearly begged, feeling bad for being the recipient of around five hundred Euro of fancy items she wouldn't wear that often in the future.

He smiled at the seller and turned to her. "I love you." He quietly announced, fingers deftly taking an earring out of a lobe. "I've loved you for probably longer than I ever thought I had." The other earring came out, tears now in her eyes. "You are such an amazing person and this is the one time I'll ever be able to shower you with such items. You can make all of these if you put your mind to it and I've seen such awesome things on your website. There will be no future shopping trips at a mall with me shelling out stereotypical large amounts of money on anything because you already have all that. You make your own clothes, jewelry, bedding if you wanted, and you're an amazing cook who can figure out a recipe in other languages by looking at it. I don't hold a candle to you, so let me have this one time to spoil you. Money means nothing to me and I never spend what I make on anything anyway. You're not going to break my bank. There are far too many zeros in it." He kissed her forehead as he removed the necklace. "All you have to do is say 'merci'..."

Her lower lip was quivering too much to manage words, so she nodded instead. She sniffled and quickly wiped the tears away in the middle of the store, taking a deep breath when he turned to hand the jewelry back to be boxed up.

Within moments, the store's logo stared back at her, the handle behind held out for her to take.

"He's such a nice gentleman, Signora."

She stared at the smiling employee, suddenly wondering just how much French the woman knew. Her face flamed and she quickly took the bag, shoulders hunched to her ears. She stuttered syllables before managing a quick bow and almost rushed from the store, not caring if she was next to Adrien or not.

He quickly caught up and folded her in a hug. "Thank you for patronizing me." He murmured, squeezing her. He looked down to find an embarrassed tomato greeting him. He grinned.

"Th – thank...you..." She mumbled, eyes closing when he moved to kiss her again.

"You're welcome..." He breathed, kissing her again. "Now that we have all of your items and I have mine, let's drop them off at the hotel and go get some food. If you're tired, I want to make sure you get a nap before we head out. I don't know how late we'll be out, but show starts at eight and we need to be there half an hour early."

 _Opera house: teatroallascala org_

 _Marinette's dress inspiration: jjshouse com/Trumpet-Mermaid-Off-The-Shoulder-Sweep-Train-Chiffon-Lace-Prom-Dress-With-Beading-Sequins-018112724-g112724?utm_term=112724 &utm_size=06&ggsub=pl&ggntk=s&ggcid=95175365796&ggkey=&ggpos=1o6&ggdev=c&ggdevm=&ggplm=&ggtgt=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwiLDMBRDFARIsACNmiX9a-CAgzqE1znr4V6qX7t5ig4L9eU5239yzGVg0Ku4C9TEAnE2m62MaAuamEALw_wcB_

 _Marinette's accessories inspiration: rubylane com/item/645543-KC-05646/18K-Milor-Ladybug-Earrings-14K-Signed_


	68. Wining and dining

She wanted more nights of dress-up when this was over. She had no idea where they could go in Paris like wherever they were going tonight, but she wanted him to find more places like it and plan on doing it.

She was gorgeous. The necklace was barely there in a good way, the ladybug the most visible thing against her skin. She managed to do her hair in a style that would show off the earrings, yet use the rollers he almost wasted money on.

The hair was hard. She had done basic buns for days now and knew he wanted to see her with curly hair. She couldn't do the side ponytail setup he was thinking. She had to put the dress on, mess with her hair a bit, plus look a little online to find out how to get things just right.

Two small braids over her ears allowed them to be visible with a few small tendrils intentionally left loose with her bangs. She tied off the braids with plain bands, then twisted the braids into a small knot and pinned them under the other to hide the loose ends. The rest, which was nicely stuck under the braids, got curled and fluffed to look like she had done nothing else with her hair. It was fairly coarse, so the rollers gave it the body she needed without it being too much. It teased the edges of her shoulders, barely long enough to cover the ladybug at the center of her collarbones.

She didn't want to overdue her makeup, but after getting her hair done, she went a tad overboard. The eyeliner might have been a tad much, the eye shadow giving her eyes a bit more of a slant than they usually had. She looked good, but even if she didn't, she didn't have any more time to take it off and redo it.

She thankfully got out of buying red shoes for the occasion. Her hair and purse she had brought would be enough to do the job of accessorizing. Plus the spots on the earrings and necklace would help...help enough to keep him from going out and getting her a pair of matching heels and, god forbid, having them dyed to match if they didn't.

She looked at herself in the mirror as well as she could for as high as it was and nodded in satisfaction. She wondered if she had a jacket that would match, but the night was a bit humid because of the recent rains and it would help. Plus, since the hair at the nape of her neck was undone, it would keep her warm too. Then there was Adrien's jacket...

She smiled and looked to the door. She had holed herself up with promises that she wouldn't look until he was done and vice versa. He promised to knock when he was ready and snatched all of his hair supplies before she locked him out of the bathroom. There was no clock in here and she had forgotten to grab her phone, but knew he wouldn't let them be late.

A nervous finger tapped on the sink. Did she open the door? It was awfully quiet out there... She didn't want to peek and spoil his part of the surprise if he wasn't ready. "Maybe peek the door open...I can't see anything outside a sliver of an opening..." She mumbled, heels clacking on the linoleum.

The slight squeak was way too loud and she cringed a little. "Adrien? Are you ready? I'm all done so we can play show-and-tell now." Silence. A brow went up. "Adrien? Are you still here? Answer me, please." More silence.

She shoved the door wide open, amazed that he would leave when they were supposed to be getting ready. She looked in the bedroom, finding it empty, and checked the main room to find it equally empty.

There was movement on the outside balcony though.

She strode to the closed door and opened it without bothering to peek at what he was wearing. His suit was black and since it was sunset already, she wouldn't be able to see that well until he came inside.

He abruptly turned and she thought she was going to fall through the building, right after her stomach.

He looked good in black...had she ever told him that before? His hair was slicked back with a few small chunks escaping...or purposely put that way. His suit jacket was open, the tie stopping after he finished facing her.

In his hand was a rather large bouquet of red roses.

'Do NOT start crying and ruin your makeup! You don't have time to redo it!'

"You..." He breathed, taking a step inside. He actually forgot to breathe for a second. The light spilled outside with her, framing her in partial darkness. His loafers clacked on the ground below as he floated toward her, the flowers forgotten in his hand. He stopped just out of arm's reach, finding her eyes roaming his attire as well. "You're...beautiful. No...gorgeous. No, exquisite. Goddess-like. Amazing." He started rambling in Italian, the words halting as much as the French ones had. He switched to Mandarin, going through the same, extensive vocabulary he knew and pausing just as much.

She finally shook herself and looked at him in confusion. "Why are you saying the same things in different languages?"

He took another step for her, fingers gently taking a hand. He lightly kissed the back of it and met soft blue eyes, his own shining. "Just trying to find the right word to describe you. I couldn't figure it out in French, so I tried something else. I still can't find anything."

Her cheeks flamed, a silly smile splitting her face in two. She giggled uncontrollably for about thirty second before she started shaking from her adrenaline and realized what she was doing.

He bowed as well as he could with his hand still in hers, refusing to let go of it. He got as close as he could without losing control in front of her and transferred the bouquet to her hands. "I'm glad these arrived in time. I didn't think they would make it, so I had to hurry down while you were getting ready. My suit didn't take more than five minutes, so I had some time to spare. Sadly, I ran most of the way and came out here to cool off."

There were a total of two dozen roses crowding her hands and she didn't know how the florists managed to crowd so many together in one band! "Th – this...must have...cost you a fortune!" She managed, eyes threatening to spill over. She smelled them, their fragrance still there, unlike most roses nowadays. "Why...did you get me...so many?"

"It's been almost two years since I first met you..." He bashfully mumbled, hands going into his pockets. "I've known you for a year, had probably loved you during that first year. I was never able to get you flowers, so I took the opportunity to make up for lost time and got you one rose for every month I lived across the way watching you, plus every month we've been together. I thought ahead and finished off next month, just in case."

" _I just need a quick second of your time. I need to know when you're free next. I need to talk to you."_

" _I can spare thirty minutes around four."_

 _0_

" _I have to call you that because I still don't know your name and you keep leaving like Cinderella at midnight when things are in the middle of the party."_

" _I don't like being called Cinderella."_

 _0_

" _I...I can't be your friend. I tried, but you're too awesome for me to stay so unattached. I just can't..."_

 _0_

" _Do you like me, Marinette?"_

" _W – w – what? L – like...YOU?"_

 _0_

" _Adrien, tell me. Please. I want you to whisper it in my ear. Please."_

" _You...Marinette. I love you... Just you... All of you. Everything about you."_

She had never treated him as he deserved to be and she could only hope that ever since she started putting her business aside for his sake, that she was repairing the early damage. Of what she had continuously done to him ever since he first started watching her. The first year had been bad all the way around...yet he was buying her flowers because he had probably loved her the whole time despite it all.

Tears finally slipped by and rained to the ground at her feet. The roses faded as she lost the feeling in her hands, arms falling to her waist. She looked at him with such sweet agony, mouth floundering for words that wouldn't escape. She only moved after he wiped away the initial tracks with a small smile, arms tightly going around his torso.

"Silly, silly man!" She cried, trying not to damage what she didn't have time to fix. "Y – you didn't...didn't have to! This is too much!"

He took the flowers before they were crushed against his back. He set them on the table they were next to, arms going around her. He listened to her go on at how much he had already given her in a single day, what she felt she was never going to repay no matter how much she loved him. She started rambling possibilities, dismissing them as things he could buy himself. She kept denying that there was anything else she could get him which would come slightly close to all he had done today.

It warmed his heart to think that the few things he had done was enough for a lifetime, that she thought so much of these few gifts and didn't know where to start giving back to equal out the level of thoughtfulness he had done so far. So many things she could have asked for, could have asked for more while his credit card was out, but she actively denied asking him to pay for those things.

"You're my own personal goddess for the evening." He murmured, fingering the tendrils at the back of her neck. She was wearing perfume and it was turning his brain off every time the wind brought it his way. "I get to be in the presence of a very gifted, intelligent, and absolutely beautiful woman for the evening. I get to show off the one person who loves me as much as I love her. That is enough payment for me."

She buried her face in his shirt, forgetting to be careful with red lipstick on white fabric. She didn't care about damaging his outfit or hers right now. She had to get her tears to stop before that thought mattered.

She mewled pitiful, broken words of love, squeezing him as if she wanted to break him in half the whole time. She promised that somehow, someway, she was going to give him back the same feelings he was invoking in her. He tried to deny her that she already had, but she butt in and promised it again, swearing that she would do so whenever she found the means to.

The kiss he gave was so sweet and gentle that it brought more tears to both their eyes. His dripped down onto her cheeks and fell down the tracks she had already created. He wanted to do this till the end of time, to remain stuck in this moment and live like this until the earth stopped moving. He was fine with drowning in everything she made him feel by merely looking at her.

But...he still did want to show off the best thing in his world to everyone else...

He took a shaky breath, resting his nose at her temple and breathing in her shampoo. He steadied his breathing for a moment, feeling her try to do so as well, before he pulled away and wiped her eyes dry. His lips tilted as she did the same for him. "You may want to check your makeup before we head out..." He suggested, thumb still stubbornly caressing a cheek.

She wiped under her eyes as she snatched the roses and clasped them to her chest. She carried them into the bathroom and all but slammed the door, locking it for good measure in order to get herself under control and away from him. She wanted to wear makeup tonight and if she stayed near him with stuff like this, there was no point!

She stared at the huge amount of flowers in the sink and smiled. She didn't deserve him. He was too good to her and she wanted to slap herself until she couldn't feel it anymore at how stupid she had been. She almost threw him away for the dumbest of reasons!

She jumped when a tear touched her cheek and hastily washed her face to start all over again. She was making them late and they had a date tonight! Whatever that was...

She applied a little less than before, but kept the general theme she had done before. She found all of the roses de-thorned and kept about three inches of stem to weave into the back of her hair. She pinned it into the braids, hiding the stem, but keeping the well-blossomed flower at the base of her head. She couldn't see the finished product, so would have to take his word that he liked it. She knew he would; she took one of his gifts and incorporated it in with the rest of them.

"Ready to go, Monsieur." She sing-songed as she exited.

He half-turned to her, jacket still open, hand in one pocket, hair slicked back. His eyes widened a little and he eyed her...freezing her in front of the kitchen with him just out of arm's reach in the living room.

Her jaw trembled when she made to talk, adrenaline hitting hard. "I...I hope...I haven't...made us l – late..." She mumbled, hardly hearing her own voice. That huge shiver up her spine had nothing to do with her exposed arms and shoulders catching the summer air.

He promptly strode up to her and kissed her with such promise that she wondered if they were ever going to get out of here. She felt her knees go a little weak, but he held her upright, pinning her against him with his hand carefully at the base of her back.

"At this point, I wouldn't care if we were..." He breathed against her lips. He kissed her again before forcing himself to step away lest he never let go of her and they never get out of the hotel. He bowed, taking her shaking fingers and kissing the back of her knuckles. "You are absolutely ravishing. I would love to ravish you right now, but I'll have to wait until later tonight."

She swallowed and found her throat dry. She was already trembling in the legs at the look in his eyes, ready to tear her apart from her toes and work his way up. She seriously hoped he remembered his words later. She really wanted to loosen his tie with her lips fastened around his.

She mentally shook herself and pulled at the sides of the dress, giving a curtsy to his bow. "Good evening, Monsieur Agreste." She softly murmured, grinning. "Your date for the evening is very anxious to get going."

He watched her twirl for him, the skirt fanning out. He caught the swath of red in her hair and smiled at the thoughtfulness. His hands came up and fingered the petals when she stopped. "You put one in your hair..."

She gave a sheepish smile, nodding. "I thought...you might like it..."

"Very much so." He gently turned her head, finding it so well put it looked like it was blooming out the back of her head. "I should get you flowers more often."

She took his hand and entwined their arms with a smile. "I'm going to find a way to take all those beautiful roses back home so I can save them. Don't think I'm going to let them go to waste. I'll think of some way to use those."

He smiled and tugged her in the direction of the door. "I'm looking forward to it, but I already know it's going to be amazing. Come my lady, my princess, a taxi is awaiting us somewhere outside."

01010

She had no idea what she was watching. All she knew was that he had gotten them a fairly close seat in their own private box and it was something out of a movie. The chairs were red velvet, the walls were red velvet, and there was a door closing them off from the entrance they were led to. She was excited at such a thing she had once seen in a romance movie way back in high school.

"So what's the story?" She asked, playing with a set of theater goggles.

"It's kind of a stereotypical love-and-death set up. Kind of like Shakespeare. Most of those old stories never end that well."

She gripped his hand, entwining their fingers when the lights flickered and then finally lowered seconds later. She shifted closer to him in the seat, quickly kissing his cheek before the orchestra started in heavy with violins. The room was filled with a musical score hundreds of years old. It played on for what felt forever until the curtain rose and the actors and actresses started in on their roles. She was on the edge of her seat, fingers lost in Adrien's, eyes wide as she tried to capture everything. She didn't understand a word they were saying, but their actions did just as good a job in the meantime.

He partially watched her face as act one played out. The story of Tamerlano was not a good one, but he had never seen it before. Reading a synopsis on it online seemed interesting and it was definitely better than Onegin with its eerily similar relationship issues that he didn't want to end the night with.

She didn't want to spend time asking for the finer details until intermission. She was too captured by the amazing voices, the costumes, and the actions for that anyway. She was close enough to see the facial expressions of everyone and some of them caused tears to come to her eyes.

The curtain closed the end of act one and she found herself disappointed that they stopped. She sat back, shoulders hunched a little, as Adrien stood to stretch. "It's not over yet, right?" She asked, standing as well.

He squelched a yawn at being in his chair for an hour and directed her from the room to go walk around. "The whole thing is about three hours. They have intermission for everyone on both sides of the room. I say we go get something to drink as well."

"I don't want to have to go to the bathroom during the second act." She pouted, arm going through his.

His free hand went over hers as they headed to the main area. "Then we can share some water because I'm kind of thirsty."

It wasn't until they were weaving around others loitering in the detailed marble lobby that she perked up to the whispers. She knew hushed, trying-to-hide-one's-excitement voice tones and asked him what people seemed to be going on about.

He looked at her with a grin. "It's kind of a two-fold thing." He looked to the voices, nodding a greeting which halted some, but increased the noise level of others. "Some people recognized me." He lifted the hand from his arm and kissed her knuckles. "The others want to know about the 'gorgeous Asian model with me tonight'."

She blushed and looked around with wide eyes, finding a few people giving them their rapt attention. They looked fairly star-struck and a few were looking directly at her. One of the middle-aged men in the group actually winked at her!

"Care to mingle? It's good pub."

She gripped the arm that resituated itself as it was during most of their walk and made to tug her to them. "I don't speak Italian!"

"I can bet you that at least half of the people in this entire building know French."

She stumbled as he tugged them to a group that had probably been talking about their attendance. She was mostly silent as he shook hands with the men of the group, kissing the back of hands of all the women...her arm still entwined in his. She gave a quiet greeting, getting perfect French in return with polite questions about where she was from and who she was. Before she could go into much of anything, not too sure just what she should give away, Adrien swooped down and announced that she was an accomplished designer from France who was accompanying him tonight.

She wanted to stomp on those expensive loafers of his! He was making her out to be rich and famous as he spoke in French, probably for her sake, and described the amount of creations she had online and how long she had been in the business. He went on more about her than himself and it had her as red as her dress.

She answered what questions she could, giving out her website name and mentally cursing she didn't have any business cards with her. She never considered herself breaking into the Italian market like this!

The lights suddenly dimmed when he was laughing at a joke and everyone looked above. "It seems that it's time to get back to the plot issues of Asteria and Bajazet." He pleasantly announced. He shook and kissed hands of everyone again, thanking them all for their company. He sent them well wishes that they enjoyed the next act and perhaps more conversation if everyone reconvened at the second break.

She felt like steam was leaking out the top of her head as they made their way with the crowds back to their box. "I don't know how you do that." She mumbled, face hot as fire.

He smiled her way, nodding his thanks as an employee opened the door for them. "Do what?" He sighed as they sat down. "Ahhh...I never got my water. I'm going to really need it by the next act."

"All of that mingling you just did!" She hissed, leaning over the armrest. "Do you even know any of those people?"

"A few I recognize as rich programmers and a few business owners." He met amazed eyes and shrugged. "When you're in the world of riches, you kind of know who your 'neighbors' are."

She shook her head and slouched in her seat, unable to pick her brain back up. She watched the lights dim, the orchestra start back up before her mouth opened, mind not on the story. "Is it always like that?"

"Like what?"

"That. Being talked about by people surrounding you. Walking up to total strangers who know your face, but you don't know theirs. Getting people's admiration for things you do without being able to have time to find out who they are as people."

He patted her hand and left his other covering hers. "I'll admit that it gets hard at times when your privacy slips away, but it can be fun. I don't mind it. I've got nothing to hide after all."

She idly nodded, eyes on the stage. "So...what the hell is going on down there? I was going to ask during the break, but we never got the chance to talk about the first act."

He chuckled and spent half of the second act detailing the first and what they were currently watching. He went by what he had seen and read online to help her with the language gap. "Get ready for a whole lot of attempted death." He finalized, watching Asteria brandish the dagger she had planned to kill Tamerlano with. He kept talking about what was going on as the second act bled into the other intermission, knowing they wouldn't get the change to do so if word spread that he was in the building.

She stood the second the act was over. "I need to use the bathroom. Let's go now before the mob gets back and starts recognizing us again."

He followed her out of the room, matching her quick pace down the stairs. "I'll do so as well and meet you at the concession stand."

She parted from him, managing to be one of the first in the line before it got too long. It still seemed to take longer than she wanted and she hurried from the restroom, eyes darting around the multitudes for him.

She was thankful he was so tall because she spotted the top of his head amongst a group of women and her sense of jealousy bristled. She was about ready to intervene in the group, politely of course, when someone stopped in front of her.

"You are the designer Signor Agreste mentioned?"

She took a step back, recognizing the heavily accented French. She nodded to the man, unable to keep her attention on the group of women as a few more men joined the first and started asking questions about her business, adding comments about how attractive she was.

Someone took her hand and kissed the back of it. Her smile became a little more forced and she tried not to yank her hand out of his grasp. She mentally wished that Adrien were near her to save her before she did something she regretted before she could see the finale.

A few women joined the small group of fawning men, asking about her dress and what she was capable of making. She explained that she had to buy this because she didn't pack one for her trip to Milan, but had one she had made going to waste at home. She lamented having to buy clothes because she was so accustomed to simply making them, as she had since middle school.

She devolved into the realm of fashion, shoulders relaxing a little, as some of the women quizzed her on the dress she had on and what she could do. She tried to critique some of their outfits as nicely as she could, informing ways to make them stand out and bring out the beauty of their facial features even better.

"Pardon me, signore and signori, but I must ask for my date back so we can go buy refreshments before the lights lower again."

She whipped to his voice, unable to get the grateful look off her face as she hurried to his side and wrapped her arm around his with more strength than she should have. She smiled her thanks for rescuing her, letting him take over with apologies and cordial invites to join them on their quest for drinks. A few in the group took them up on the offer, everyone getting something.

He downed half of the water before passing it to her. He entered into the conversation concerning the second half as she was silent, pasting herself against his side and letting him take the reigns in speaking. He seemed to have no issues with it, as many years of practice made it easy, and she let him to it. She was in the middle of tossing the bottle in the recycling bin when the lights lowered.

She returned to find him giving customary exits to the men and women of the group before extending his arm. She bashfully smiled and took it, letting him lead them back to the box.

"You did very well. I know it was awkward, but you did a good job with perfect strangers." She looked to him, a brow going up. He didn't even look her way as he let her pass into the room first. "I saw you surrounded by men." He waited until the door clicked shut behind them before abruptly trapping her waist with his arm, harshly pinning her against him. His free hand tilted her chin up, eyes possessive. "I couldn't fight off those women fast enough to get back to you." His mouth lowered and covered hers, insistent and strong. "I do believe I once told you in bed that you were mine. I wasn't playing when I said those words."

She shivered, shaking fingers clutching at his suit jacket. "M...maybe...you'll have to...r – remind me of that night... It seems I've f – forgotten it..."

His eyes flared with lust as the lights lowered and the curtains rose again. "If I wasn't so intent on watching the last act so we could enjoy our first opera together, I'd say we should leave now. But...the idea of wanting something makes it more exciting..."

She didn't feel the seat under her or Adrien's hand in hers. Her heart thundered the entire last act, attention half on it with the rest already back in their room...mind wondering just how he was going help her recall a night she was all too aware of.

 _Tamerlano_ _opera:_ _youtube com/watch?v=WdJlj5Jh8TE_

 _en wikipedia org/wiki/Tamerlano_


	69. After show entertainment

The rest of the opera was a wash. She kind of remembered what went on, knowing that it had something to do with weddings and death and revenge, but she couldn't pay attention.

All she could think of was with every done song, it was closer to her being back in the hotel room with Adrien. Alone. With her at his mercy...happily so.

Anticipation had more than taken root. It was making her impatient and light-headed. Her heart wouldn't stop pounding and her hands kept shaking. The most annoying thing though was whenever she snuck glances his way, heart in her throat, his eyes were on the opera! If he caught her looking at him, he sent a small smile and went back to the show.

She wanted to hit him. How dare he turn her upside down for an entire hour and not look so outwardly affected! She would have sat on his lap and put her arms around his shoulders, but they were in public.

It wasn't until that thought hit that she sobered in a new way.

His face was well-known in probably all of France by now and definitely in Milan. They had spent the first two days here blatantly showcasing him to the public, with probably hundreds of pictures of his face getting ready for magazines. She didn't doubt that they were out in print by now and possibly being circulated in stores. Whether it was a help in others recognizing him here tonight or not she didn't know.

He looked calm and poised. There wasn't a hair out of place that he didn't purposely put that way. His suit was impeccable with his own quirks, like the cufflinks, there if someone bothered to look closer. No one else did. They didn't know why his tie was the color it was, nor what held his sleeves together. Only she did and not just because she had picked them out.

The next few minutes thankfully derailed her sexual distress to what would happen if her name got out here. Neither he nor she had ever given her family name and "residing in Paris" meant nothing because it was a huge, crowded metropolis. The only way any of them could contact her was via her webpage and she only gave it out to those few who asked.

She didn't know if any pictures had been snapped with her at his side. If they had, magazines were going to start talking. If someone got a shot when she wasn't looking and felt so compelled to post it on the internet, it might do things she didn't want to think about. She hoped that such things didn't occur, but speaking of such worries to Adrien didn't mean anything because such a thing for him was normal.

That's probably why he looked so composed right now.

He joined in the clapping once the opera reached the final chords and was done. She joined in as the only outlet to the chaotic energy that had no release since they sat back down. She stood with him, eyes idly wandering the stage, mind nowhere near the opera house.

"Did you enjoy it?"

She jumped with an "eep", whipping to him with wide eyes. "W – what? What?"

"The opera. It's your first right? I'm sorry it was in another language."

She waved her hands in front of her, unable to get herself to calm down. The show was over and soon they would be going back to the hotel.

Her legs started trembling all over again at the thought.

"Fine! Yes. It was okay. No problem!"

He took one of her hands, looking at how it shook. "Are you okay?"

She scowled, mouth opening to yell at him for not noticing what he had done to her all of the third act, when the door swung open and the attendant standing in the exit.

She listened to Adrien speak to the man for a moment, nod, and then take her arm in his again. "It looks like we're slow to leave." He reported, guiding her from the room. They went with the crowd down the stairs, pausing often.

She felt slightly uncomfortable at wondering how many people had been eying their box during the show and remained as silent as possible when a few people addressed Adrien. She let him stop and chat, heart hammering in her chest at the thought that they were almost out of here. She didn't know why he was making small talk when she figured he'd want to rush back to her room, but his status came back and hit her over the head again.

If he just left, people would wonder about why. They would talk and she didn't want that. She wanted his image as perfect as he always was and thus tried to take deep breaths around the adrenaline, trying to smile whenever someone focused on her. She answered back as well as she could, clenching her free hand to keep its shaking from being noticed.

He finally bid good night to all, slowly moving to the main entrance as the staff looked to want them out of there. He knew he was holding up the line, but appearances were everything in this society and he didn't want his first time out in the limelight with Marinette to be painted incorrectly. He felt he had done a good job at stoking their curiosity in who she was, giving just the right amount of details to get some of them talking. The small few who had her page name might check it out and become future customers. Their word-of-mouth was better than any commercial advertisement that she could pay for.

The second her back hit the taxi's seat, she collapsed into it and leaned her head against his shoulder. Her feet hurt from standing in heels for too long, and her shoulders still itched despite the attempts she had taken for the alterations.

"Are you alright?"

Her eyes fluttered open at the gentle caress at her cheek. "I...just...tired. That was a lot."

His lips tilted. He took in the softness of her skin as they headed back to the hotel. The night was late; it was probably midnight soon. "You handled it beautifully. Just like you, my lady."

She ducked her head into his side, silly smile on her face. She entwined their hands together, giving his fingers a squeeze. She got one in return and nuzzled her face against his coat.

"Are you cold?"

With her heart still beating as fast as it was? It jumped up again whenever she bothered to open her eyes and look at the city pass them by...knowing they were heading back for their borrowed bed. Traffic this late at night wasn't as bad as it was during the day and they got past blocks faster than they had getting to the opera house.

"N...no..." She managed, slightly shaking her head.

"Is something the matter?"

Her lips tightened as annoyance reared its ugly head. He couldn't possibly be so clueless! "You know very well what the problem is!" She snapped, trying to be quiet in presence of the driver.

He said nothing to that and was still silent when they stopped in front of the hotel moments later. He paid the driver and got out, extending his hand for her to take. He held onto the door for her, tucking her hand in his arm one last time as the taxi drove off and they headed to their floor. He unlocked the door and let her pass.

She walked inside, fully expecting him to turn the lights on at the door once he was in, but they remained off. Moonlight was the only available lighting they had and it was only out enough to know the chunks of furniture in the corner.

She turned for him, hearing the quiet click of the door and the lock slide into place. His earlier promises rushed back through her head and her thighs burned already. "A – Adrien?"

His loafers clacked on the floor like a series of slow gunshots in the stillness as he stopped in front of her. He stared down the wide eyes and hunched shoulders, feeling like a lion about to devour a gorgeous, baby deer.

A hand slowly rose and found her chin, the strength in his fingers more than she thought he would possess right now. She tried to swallow around the lump in her throat as she kept meeting his eyes, a bit of the moon in them. Making them shine like a feline predator. Her lips parted to ask questions, but words wouldn't escape.

"I do know."

She blinked, brow going up in confusion.

His face lowered a little. "I know very well what the problem is." He stopped just above her lips. "I've known very well all night long. Ever since we left. Ever since you got ready. Ever since we went shopping. Ever since we stepped foot in Milan together." His lips pressed against hers, tongue finding hers as passion seemed to erupt from him like a bottle rocket.

He destroyed her thinking with that kiss, panting as he pulled away. An arm went around her waist and pulled her against him...feeling his slacks already straining. She shivered, skin attuned to his touch.

His fingers splayed across her lower back, nails digging into the fabric a little. "I know because I know you. I know myself. Your problem has been my problem." His hand trailed past her chin and clutched the back of her neck. He met her eyes in the dark, already telling her what he wanted to do to her. "I can't keep my hands off you and it was hell trying to do so tonight. These are the times when I hate my family name." He pushed her against his waist, relishing the gasp. "I can't show how you turn me on without the whole world judging me."

She found his lips, hands going through his hair. His arms kept her against him even as he rocked against her a little. She fought for supremacy at whose tongue moved faster, more insistently. Whines of frustration and need escaped, transferring to his mouth for him to take in.

Her hands floated up into his jacket until she found it barred by buttons. She blindly groped for them, slowly undoing the three until it was open for her to sweep off his shoulders in her original intention. It plopped on the floor behind him and then his arms wrapped around her again, muscles much easier to feel with the heavier fabric off.

"Shall I...help you out of that suit...Monsieur?" She panted, licking his lower lip.

His nails scraped at the fabric around her waist. "By all means, Mademoiselle PA...please do..." He breathed.

Her hands trembled as she looked to his tie. Her tongue darted out over her lips as her hands snaked up his chest, gently tugging it open until the knot came undone. She slowly slid it out from the collar, throwing it back around his upper neck to pull him down for a kiss. She slid the silk off his neck, his mouth remaining, as she went for the top button of his dress shirt. She took her time, knowing the design of a button in and out, but delighting in the anticipation.

" _The_ _idea_ _of_ _wanting_ _something_ _makes_ _it_ _more_ _exciting..."_

His words had never been more true. By the time she got to tug the bottoms out of his slacks and get the shirt off, she was desperate and licked his chest as if he were ice cream melting in the scorching sun. She covered everything, hearing his gasp and feeling his hands grab for anything as if he were falling. She wanted to hear more, wanted him to do more...wanted him to lose his mind as she had hours ago.

As she had months ago.

Her fingers undid the clasp at his belt without hesitation, with a slight sense of urgency at seeing what she had seen a dozen times over. She flicked her tongue into his navel, getting her name from his lips at a sense of breathlessness that she was all too aware of.

She had no doubt in mere moments she was going to be in that world with him. Just thinking about it made her shiver.

He stepped from his slacks once they hit the floor. It was trivial to slip from his loafers. The fire racing up his veins was only a little stronger than the pressure she was applying to his legs, trailing up to his waist with a drive he wanted to bestow back to her. He wanted nothing more than to lick every inch of her legs, bury his face in her thighs, and make her scream. He really wanted to...but he was enjoying the sensations of the one he loved who seemed in no mood to stop.

She wanted to cover every inch of his skin with her mouth. She wanted to map out his body with her tongue and know where all of his intricacies were. She trailed a line from his knee to his hip bone, suddenly jumping past his thigh and covering him with her mouth.

He cried out a curse, hips bucking, and almost falling over. Her name left his mouth along with pleads to never stop. His fingers went through her hair, but she slapped his hand away, fingers digging into his thighs. She didn't stop, not even when he warned her he wasn't going to last at those movements, at that level of pressure. She ignored him and he came, calling her name as fast as he could say it. He sang of love, her pet name leaving his lips as he gasped for air.

She paused, mouth around him, until she felt him stabilize and pulled away to stand. Her fingers trailed up his stomach, turning and curving around his shoulders. She gave him a smile, pulling his face down for a kiss.

He broke it with a need for air that still hadn't been quenched. He clutched her to him, arms around her waist to let her feel his heartbeat...letting her know how turned around he still was.

"Your...'generosity' is admirable, my lady..." He murmured, the cold licking his back. "I intend on repaying you tenfold for it. You'd best prepare yourself."

She had no chance to answer, to think of a response, as he easily scooped her up in his arms and found her mouth. She was grateful for the support because her legs would have collapsed...especially with the muscle she could feel clenched to hold her there.

She wasn't even aware of him moving toward the room until he was gently splaying her on the bed. She sat up, about ready to tell him that there was no way to take off her dress with her laying on the zipper, when he kneeled and ran his hands up the sides of her ribs.

"You've taunted me all day in this thing, my lady...and now I get to have you all to myself. My gorgeous 'Asian model'..."

His mouth briefly locked with hers, moving to suck on her chin, throat, and down to her collarbone. He silently took off the ladybug necklace as not to break it and set it on the small stand by the bed. His hands ran over the exposed skin of her back, nails lightly scratching. "I do believe that I have found the perfect dress and I fully intend on seeing you in it as often as possible so I can take it off you as often as possible..."

She panted, head thrown back with his mouth attached to a vein at the side of her neck. Shaking fingers clutched at the blankets as she felt his hands trail down for the hidden zipper underneath her shoulder blades, slowly pulling. Each tooth that separated from the other had her heart beating harder at the noise which she could hardly hear over her own gasps for air.

" _The idea of wanting something makes it more exciting..."_

Her head was foggy and it was hard to think. She wanted him to tear it off her, damned be the cost he had graciously paid, and drape himself over her. She couldn't take this! She had been on fire for hours, had needed him the second she saw him in his suit. His hair had been terribly mussed from her earlier actions, giving him the same, bad boy look that she created the day he put her birthday present on.

She got a punch in the gut when her eyes finally opened and she found him looking at her through the partial cover of his bangs.

He tugged the dress off her arms, easily unclasping the bra that went with it. He cast the unnecessary item to the other side of the room, pulling her to stand in front of him as the dress fell off her hips to her ankles below.

"I don't know which view I prefer more..." He breathed, fingers dancing down her arms. His nails dug into her hips, a finger lightly toying with the lace of her underwear. "It's a tough decision. I'm sure you'll help me figure it out, won't you?"

There was a sudden pull to her hair and then something soft tickled down her back. She squirmed a little, body pressing against his. It made tracks down her spine, around her hips, and a beeline up for her mouth. She smelled the rose that was no longer in her hair and putting its fragrance all over her body.

"Why don't you be a good girl and hold onto this for me for a moment..." He lightly pushed the stem in between her teeth, hands cupping her chin. "There's something I've got left to do before I get serious..."

She shivered as his fingers passed barely over her breasts on his way down to her hips as he kneeled. Her gaze followed him, breath stuck in her chest, as his fingers hooked into the sides and slowly tugged down.

She wanted to yell at him to cover his mouth over her when all he did was run his fingers over her legs, but didn't want to take the rose out of her mouth. For some reason, she knew he wouldn't want her to.

"Everything about you is delectable." His mouth kissed the front of a thigh and she squirmed as he intentionally kept his distance. "I'd like to worship every inch of you like you did to me." He slowly stood and picked her up again, blazing eyes scorching her to dust. "I don't think you'd mind...right?"

She somehow managed to shake her head and then he was setting her on the bed in much less clothing than the first time. He took the rose from her teeth and moved the petals over her body, his mouth following in their wake. His tongue washed her chest in full, delighting in his name from her lips.

He moved her hands away when she made to press his head into her breasts. "Just enjoy it, my lady. Let me make you feel like a queen tonight..." He got a nod and he smirked with every devious intention he had at how he could raise the dead with her voice.

True to his word, he let the rose do the light work, his mouth applying a considerable amount of pressure in its wake. He sucked and licked his way across her chest and arms, taking her fingers in his mouth to mimic her earlier actions on him. He hovered over her legs when he finished the upper half of her body. He flicked the rose at the hair in her thighs, but ignored it with his mouth as he shifted down her legs and found her feet, getting a jump when he lightly bit her toes.

Her hands were going to rip the sheets to pieces! She couldn't take this, but she couldn't form words to get him to go faster, to beg him in a way he might enjoy. All she could do was drown in the tidal waves as he licked in between her toes, up the back of her calf, and finally clamped down on her with a leg pushed against her chest.

She cried out, pleads finally falling from her as quickly as the gasps which helped her to breathe. Her head thrashed against the pillow, stomach spasming. She mewled her need, crying out when he only acquiesced his fingers instead, hips arching into him. Her spine threatened to break, head pushing into the pillow as he applied the pressure she wanted, but still desperately needed.

And still, she came. Hard.

She declared everything from his ability to her love for him. She demanded an eternity of the pleasure hitting her and causing near convulsions.

It felt like hours had passed when he finally released her, but he was far from done. She had toyed with him, and it was hell to watch her enjoy herself without him...without him truly inside her. He ached to feel the heat his fingers played with.

He hovered over her, hearing her pant for air and licked her neck. He wanted to speak sexy words, but entered her before he could figure out which ones to say first.

They gasped at the pressure on both sides. He paused long enough to ride the wave down, to get his head clear enough to remember to move. It almost made him light-headed and his arms shook as they held him above her.

She moved with him when he started slow, nails clawing at his back at what he easily invoked. She clutched him to her, the spots he hit all the more sensitive after the first round. It was much easier to come when she asked him to speed up and he complied.

She somehow found his eyes as he rocked her into the bed. She spoke of love again as well as she could around the need for air and her spine arching into him.

Her actions alone could have been his undoing, were his second undoing. He came on her, panting between her legs as he tried to help his lungs survive the ordeal he put them through. They froze that way, riding the emotions back to land, back to stability and clarity.

Her ears buzzed, fingertips tingling from the whole thing. She was glad the bed was much sturdier than the amount of shaking her legs were doing. It was too much work to keep her eyes open, so she let them stay closed, gulping air as if it were trying to fly from the room.

Her arms weakly rose as the bed dipped and his mouth lightly kissed in between the valley of her breasts. She tried to push him away, but her strength was gone and he slowly, tenderly, moved up to her neck, getting a giggle.

"I...can't... I mean...I can...but...I'm tired..." Her arms fell to her sides when his lips found a cheek, slowly rubbing against her skin and peppering kisses over her chin.

"I just want to worship you like you deserve, princess..." He whispered, lips tilting.

"I prefer 'my lady' to princess.' She giggled again when his hair tickled her nose, the crown of his head rubbing over her chin. "Stop! Are you a cat or something?"

His smirked and rubbed their cheeks together. "Meow." He lightly headbutted her at the temple, heart fluttering at her laughter.

She couldn't put up a fight against this, but she didn't really want to anyway. Her arms rose to put up a fight, but it was a pittance of a struggle against his strength. He rubbed his nose over her chin, down her neck, and over her collarbone. She squealed and it kept him from stopping.

Her hand finally plopped on his hair, scratching behind his ears a little when he paused. "Okay, kitty, you've done a good job of rubbing your sweat all over me. Let's go clean up."

He grinned and sat up enough to prop himself up over her. "Would you like me to lick you clean, my lady?"

She gave him a slightly amused look, tongue out. "You already licked me all over. That's why I need a shower." She sat up slowly so she didn't headbutt him back, scratching under his chin. "Though...I appreciate the bath, kitty."

He grinned and licked the back of her hand. "Is that my pet name? I suppose it'll do." He leaned forward and rubbed his hair against the remnants of her braid. "I can be your kitty, so long as you remember to scratch me behind my ears every so often..."

A brow rose as she accepted his hand to help her off the bed. "That's the strangest pick-up line I've ever heard."

He chuckled and watched her walk out of the room first, eyes gravitating down. He paused as she threw both doors open and turned back to him in the dark, just enough being illuminated to help turn his attention, and the rest of his body, into overdrive.

"Coming, kitty? I know how cats don't like water and all..."

He quickly caught up and wrapped an arm around her stomach, planting a kiss on a shoulder. "This kitty doesn't mind a little water, so long as his owner washes behind his ears..."

She laughed and shook her head.


	70. Finding something to do

God he was so bored. June was already half over and there was nothing to do. Well...almost nothing. Aside from the few appointments concerning the fall runway that production was busy getting under way... There were more fittings for all of the designs his father had come up with to finish out the year and he was back on the stool as a living mannequin again.

He'd rather be on Marinette's if he had a choice...

He spent time pretending he was under her beck and call and it actually made it a little more entertaining. Considering they had him there for too many hours in the evening, taking advantage of his lack of school until the middle of September rolled around, he had to do so for his own sanity. His mind was bored and he was way too far away from the one he loved.

The only reason he didn't throw more of a fit about being gone from afternoon till evening was that she was just as busy for the exact same reason.

He offered to be on a pedestal for her, but she declined, saying that she had drawings to put to life for the women's line first and would consider him second for the male line later...if either of them had moments to spare.

The worst part about coming home at midnight again was that he didn't want to bother her, especially when he saw her light on from his own room at such late hours.

He sat at the window again, chin resting on his arms, as he watched her with the curtains wide open for him to see. She was always hard at work and while he was done with his for the day, he didn't want to pressure her to hang out with him when she was deep in something important. Even if they came to an agreement where she'd work while he was gone and then spend time together whenever he was done, he occasionally sent a few texts saying that he was too tired to come over and planned on sleeping before she was ready to so that she could keep going.

He didn't feel like he was back at the beginning again, even if he was acting like it a little. He felt solid enough whenever he watched her, knowing she was doing what she could as efficiently as possible so she could free time for him. He saw it in the rapid arm movements and how she circled her mannequin whenever she was in the midst of putting together a final blueprint.

Sometimes he just stayed there and admired her like he used to. There was a sense of nostalgia mixed in with all the recent feelings he had given and received. It was nice and sometimes he liked going all the way back to the beginning and think of all that had happened in about two and a half years. It was amazing that it had been so long, yet it was still such a small number. Whenever he basked in how far they had come emotionally, it made him fall in love with her all over again and almost want to interrupt her work to take her in his arms.

He turned from the window and headed to bed. Another day of pedestal work awaited him.

01010

 _I'm_ _so_ _bored._ _What_ _are_ _you_ _doing?_

 _Having_ _lunch_ _like_ _a_ _smart_ _person_ _at_ _this_ _hour._ _You?_

 _Father_ _is_ _having_ _another_ _show_ _in_ _the_ _beginning_ _of_ _October,_ _like_ _usual._ _I'm_ _just_ _taking_ _a_ _break_ _from_ _the_ _sewing_ _team._

 _Fun._ _Not._ _Is_ _that_ _why_ _you're_ _contacting_ _me?_

 _No._ _I_ _actually_ _had_ _a_ _crazy_ _idea_ _when_ _most_ _of_ _this_ _dies_ _down_ _and_ _I_ _plan_ _on_ _talking_ _to_ _the_ _sewing_ _team_ _about_ _it to see what I can get away with._ _What_ _are_ _you_ _doing_ _tomorrow_ _morning?_

 _Thinking_ _about_ _heading_ _to_ _Spain_ _to_ _escape_ _the_ _rain._ _I_ _suppose_ _I_ _could_ _pause_ _the_ _trip_ _tomorrow_ _if_ _you_ _want_ _to_ _chat._

 _Isn't your pilot already contracted out then?_

 _Not_ _yet._ _I_ _just_ _decided_ _this_ _afternoon_ _that_ _I_ _needed_ _to_ _get_ _the_ _hell_ _out_ _of_ _Paris_ _for_ _a_ _week._

 _I_ _suppose_ _that_ _kind_ _of_ _spontaneous_ _attitude_ _is_ _just_ _what_ _I_ _need_ _right_ _now._ _Let's_ _meet_ _and_ _chat_ _about_ _Berlin_ _like_ _you_ _mentioned._

 _Really?!_ _I_ _knew_ _you'd_ _see_ _it_ _my_ _way!_ _Why_ _don't_ _you_ _come_ _over_ _tomorrow_ _morning_ _and_ _we'll_ _have_ _breakfast_ _at_ _the_ _hotel._

 _Sounds_ _good._ _I_ _don't_ _think_ _they'll_ _stick_ _pins_ _in_ _me_ _till_ _about ten._

 _Great!_ _I'm_ _so_ _looking_ _forward_ _to_ _it!_ _We_ _haven't_ _had_ _coffee_ _together_ _since_ _the_ _March!_

01010

"Adri-kins! So good to see you again!"

He accepted and exchanged the cheek kiss Chloe gave him, letting her thumb get the lipstick off his cheek at eight in the morning.

"You didn't bother shaving this morning?" Chloe tsked, nose wrinkling a little before she shrugged and grabbed a hand. "Ah well. It's not runway, baby-face time yet I guess. They won't care about your face right now anyway."

He let Chloe guide them to a table, taking the menu she handed him. He looked away when the clinking of porcelain drew his attention. He nodded his thanks to the waitress for setting the coffee cup his way. He picked it up and his brow furrowed. "You ordered me coffee already?"

Chloe smiled and propped her chin up with her arms. "Of course I did. I know what you usually drink, silly boy. Did you think I forgot just because we don't hang out that often?"

He gave a humorous snort, shaking his head. The gesture touched him, as such small things often did, and he took a sip. It was good, the coffee and milk high quality. of course. "Did you get yourself another espresso?" He asked over the rim, lips tilted.

Chloe snorted, looking to the small cup that was just placed before her. "Do I ever drink anything else?" She cracked, taking a dainty sip.

He ordered a basic breakfast item, Chloe following him right after. He handed the menu back, knowing it was better to argue about paying for his meal or even trying to. Chloe had very forcefully told him a long time ago that the pub he gave was payment enough...but, deep down, he knew she would never let one of her friends pay for a meal in a place that basically was her home.

"So...when are we going to Berlin?" Chloe asked, manicured brow going up.

He set that coffee cup down with a sardonic grin. "You're not even going to wait till the food gets here first?"

Chloe scoffed and waved the comment off. "Why wait? I want to plan my outfits for the weather. Besides, we can take that time deciding what we want to do."

He shook his head at such a classic response. He should've expected nothing less from Chloe, who grabbed life by the horns and shook it by the throat till it coughed up what she wanted.

"Think you can convince Sabrina to go with? My German is pretty rusty."

"As much fun as that would be, Sabrina is kind of stressed with business tax payments due right now. You kind of picked a bad time."

"That's why it'd be fun to take her with. She needs to cool off and get all those numbers out of her head."

"I'm all for her going, but I just know she's going to yell at me for bugging her right now."

"Well, I have probable cause for her to go with us. I want to bring someone, too."

The espresso cup was back in its saucer at that comment, Chloe leaning over the table. "Oh?" A brow went up in curiosity, though she didn't look too happy. "Just who are you planning on adding to our little troupe?"

He had worried about something like this. He had been hesitant in the beginning because of the reaction. Everything was still so new at that time and he didn't want to rock the boat on the relationship. He didn't want any fights getting in the way of everything and breaking the foundation he had tried so hard to put together.

After Milan, he wanted to believe that it would all be okay if they all went together.

"An old classmate of yours." He cryptically side-stepped. He went for his latte, heart beating a tad faster from a small spike of nerves.

Chloe sat back in the seat, fingering her lower lip carefully so she didn't smudge her lipstick. "Hmm... Old classmate. I don't know of anyone that bears inviting." She startled at a thought and leaned over the table again. "Wait. You didn't even go to school with me! How do you know any of my classmates? I've never seen or heard of any of them hanging out with you! You didn't go doing something weird, did you?"

He snorted and shook his head. "I may be bored, but I don't have that kind of free time on my hands." He looked to the folded napkin holding his utensils. "You used to go to school with her. Middle school and high school I heard."

Blue eyes narrowed before a brow went up again. "'Her'? Her who? How come I don't know about this? When were you planning on telling me you were hanging out with other women?"

He grabbed the pink nail pointing in his direction and shook it a little before Chloe pulled her finger back. "You already kind of knew about it months ago, even though you never bothered to ask questions." He cleared his throat when Chloe insistently waved him on to continue and decided to bite the bullet and see what would happen. "It's Marinette."

He expected an immediate eruption. It was usual of Chloe to complain about things that she didn't agree with and she never lacked words to say about a subject...whether good or bad. He didn't expect her to sit quietly and stare at him like she didn't hear what he had just said though.

"Marinette..." Chloe slowly echoed. "You're bringing Marinette..." A light bulb went on and then she jumped like someone just stuck her in the back with a pin. "You?! Her?! What the hell? When...why...how did you two meet?! Why didn't you tell me before? We even met for coffee! How long has this been going on?"

There it was...

He sat back until the tirade of questions was done and Chloe stared at him with eyes demanding answers and lots of details. He idly stared around the room as he ignored her while he put the first set of words together. It wasn't a good idea to explain just how they met, but there was no way he'd be able to get out of her being at the venue that night.

He played down the beginning to keep Chloe's wrath off Marinette, not caring about that part of their past and rather wished to forget it already. He explained the similar majors and used that as a starter. He brought up Nino and how Nino convinced him to meet Alya and her friend as a way to connect him with Marinette instead. He glossed over most of her past with Nathaniel, not bothering to mention his name, and skipped to when they started going out. He only mentioned Marinette's "messy relationship", but he should have known that he was more out of the loop amongst his friends than Chloe was.

"Oh my god! She finally broke up with art boy?! I can't believe that! He was so into her in middle school, but she never noticed him much. He didn't go to our high school for some reason, but they must have met back up in college then... I can't believe he ever found the guts to ever confess; he was so quiet."

He couldn't picture Nathaniel, a person who very verbally and almost physically fought for Marinette to be by his side for so long, as a quiet person.

"Well, I don't want the messy details because I don't particularly care to hear them." Chloe suddenly waved off, sitting back as the plate was put in front of her. The smell of strawberries and freshly made crepe wafted off expensive china. His own plate of cheeses and croissants, plain and chocolate-filled, made his stomach growl.

"Good, because I personally don't want to rehash them myself." He slightly grumbled as he went for his utensils. "All you need to know is we've been going out since March and we've confessed our feelings to each other."

"That's quite the feat."

His fork paused on its trek to spear a chunk of brie. "What?"

Chloe shrugged, ignoring the slightly offended look on his face, and stabbed a strawberry slice. "That girl had no one in her head unless they were placing an order. In middle school, she was always late to class because she said she worked late on designs. She got sent to the principal's office for drawing in her sketchbook during class when she should have been taking notes and some of the teachers would yell at her for it."

He watched Chloe chew and actually wanted her to continue. As much as he wanted to be irate for the tactless explanation of his girlfriend, this was real gold he was getting right now.

He tried to act like he didn't care that much, but couldn't help leaning over his plate when she didn't continue. "And?" He asked around the cheese he was finishing.

"And what? She was scatterbrained and it's amazing she got through middle school, let alone science class in high school half the time. She might have excelled at art and some math, probably because she needed the angles for cuts of fabric, but that was it. She was pretty mediocre."

"Like you're one to talk." He immediately retorted, slightly glaring behind the bangs he didn't style this morning. "You complained about school until you were out of college and you still don't do anything with that Human Sciences degree of yours."

"I do what I want and that's what matters." Chloe shot back. "I get to enjoy my life and not get bogged down like you or Sabrina or Marinette. You and Sabrina look stressed half the time I see you and I don't think I want to know how anal retentive Marinette has become since I saw her seven years ago."

"I'll have you know that I don't particularly care for you bashing my girlfriend in my presence. Or not in my presence. How about just not doing it anymore, huh?" He groused.

"I'm just telling the truth." Chloe pointed her fork his way. "The last I saw her, she was obsessed over her business, which she's very good at I know; didn't give the time of day to a lot of people; she was highly critical and didn't respond to criticism well; and worked the worst hours which never let her focus on anything else around her." Chloe's nose rose a little. "Am I wrong?"

He looked down at his plate. "Not really..." He mumbled, tearing off a chunk of chocolate croissant.

Chloe smirked a little and went for her food. There was almost a sullen quiet, mostly from his side, as he focused on his food in a battle he had no defense for. It wasn't the best thing that Marinette hadn't changed that much in so many years, but perhaps he could help her a little.

"So...you want to bring her with us, huh? Why?"

Green eyes shot up to confused blue. His brow went up. "Why not? Is that a problem?"

Chloe looked away as if some of the crepe had been burned and she just found it. She ate two more slices of fruit in silence, but it was easy to tell she had things to say. Why she was deciding not to say anything was beyond him because it was never an issue before.

"I don't think she needs to go."

"And I think she does. It's not a problem. I'll pay for her expenses if she doesn't want to."

Chloe's arms crossed, a slight pout on her face. "I already have to share you with other people, why does she have to butt in on the group?" Sullen blue looked across the table. "She can go with you some other time, can't she? It's not a long plane ride and the tickets are cheap anyway... We haven't gone on any adventures with our group in forever! Why can't just the three of us go?"

He heaved a sigh, utensils slowly going over the plate. "We can certainly go by ourselves, but I haven't shared her with any of the people in my life yet and I thought it would be a nice idea. She's included me in her circle of friends and I haven't done that yet." His fingertips pressed together. "I realize that you two are a...sore spot because of things that you did to her in school -"

"Sabrina told you?"

"-but it's time to move past it. I plan on being with her for quite some time and if you want to hang out with me in the future, you'll be hanging out with her, too. So you can suck it up now and we can all go have fun together, or you can miss out on a lot of future, fun adventures because I intend on including her in my life." He picked up the fork and went for more cheese. "So...are we going to Berlin together?"

Chloe's arms tightened around her chest as her lips stuck out as far as they could while she pouted. "Of course I want to go to Berlin..." She mumbled, looking to the floor across the open restaurant. She heaved a sigh before snatching the fork off her plate and cutting up a piece without mercy. "I don't like more people taking time away from you than they already do." She pointed the chunk of crepe at him. "Your father monopolizes enough of that as it is! I hardly get to see you! We don't even chat on the phone like we used to."

"That's because you're usually out of the country." He snorted with a grin. "We could hang out more if you'd just stay put for five minutes."

"Sounds boring." She smirked, going for the espresso. "Too much to do in the world. Too much wine to explore and good food to find for papa's staff here. Then there is always the fall show in New York that I was considering. Whether they ask me again this year or I just show up for a viewer's seat I haven't figured out yet."

"You'd hate New York in the winter." He immediately returned with a shake. "You hate any place cold or humid, so what makes you think you'd go there in October?"

Chloe shrugged. "I might not. I haven't decided yet, like I said." She went for the espresso cup. "But, I have decided on Berlin. The four of us." Her lips tilted. "I wonder how Sabrina is going to handle this...she wasn't very nice to Marinette either, even if the two of them were friends for a while."

His lips tilted. "Oh...they already made up last month."

Chloe's hands abruptly slammed on the expensive tablecloth like a lightening strike. "Why does no one tell me this shit?! That's it; I'm going! We're all going together! I'm not missing out on this and the two of you never telling me anything!" The irritation suddenly fell in a second and her mouth hung open. "How ARE you going to tell her anyway?"

The urge to sweat fell over him and it was powerful. "Aaahh...I...haven't figured that out yet. She's working on her fall line right now and I'm a mannequin for father's company for his." A hand rose and ran through his hair. "It was kind of a...sudden idea that sounded good at the time."

Chloe snorted. "I doubt she'd go and not because of her business. She still doesn't like me. I saw it at the venue months ago. She hates me. Why would she want to be anywhere near me just because you want to include her in this side of your life?"

He sighed, not yet having an answer to that mystery. "I'll figure that out...somehow. You work on Sabrina and I'll work on Marinette."

Chloe smirked. "I'd suggest switching you, but I think I'll have an easier time browbeating Sabrina to go with if I tell her it's time she can bond with Marinette. You're not going to have such an easy time getting that woman out of her stitching hole."

He grinned. "I got her to go along well enough for the twentieth anniversary in Milan."

Chloe's mouth flopped open, totally at a loss for words. "That's it! You're not leaving until I get the whole scoop! I heard you were in Milan at some opera, but I didn't know who the hell they were talking about! Spill! You have another half an hour before you need to leave."

He smirked, nodding and going for his coffee. "I'll need a refill if I'm going to do that." He responded, finishing the last few drops and raising his cup to an awaiting staff member he knew would be keeping an eye on this table in particular.

"This calls for a fruit and cheese dish." She added, pushing the small plate and empty cup across the way. "And a refill for me, too." Once the table was cleared for now, Chloe folded her fingers in the empty spot and leaned over them. "Now...I want to know how you're managed to take Marinette to an opera amongst the wealthy and NOT having her face plastered in magazines later on, Monsieur. Oh and...why the opera? Blech!"

He smiled and shook his head. "Only you, Chloe. There are certain things I'd rather leave out about that night -"

"Please do!"

"-but I think I can recant the rest..."


	71. High tensions

"Thank you for not putting us in first class."

Click.

"Because you didn't want me to pay for first class again?"

"No...because I don't want to sit next to Chloe the whole trip."

He sighed, grabbing a hand once she was done putting her seat belt on and entwined their fingers. "You should calm down a little. Things will be okay. I'm here and Sabrina's here."

"Sabrina is sitting in first class with Chloe."

"That's because Chloe wouldn't let her live it down if she didn't." He cracked, wiping the smile off his face at her glare. He patted the back of her hand as the stewardess went past the aisles of business class for final check. "It'll be okay. I promise. Sabrina and I will be there in case Chloe starts to get...snippy."

Stormy blue looked to the back of the chair in front of her with a scowl. "That doesn't make me feel better and I'm still not too sure I should have agreed to this in the first place."

He smiled and leaned over to nuzzle the top of her head with his nose. "But you did."

She ducked, trying not to smile at his treatment. He never let go of her hand as the engines came to life. "And I still have this pit of unease in my stomach over the whole thing. I just know she's going to pull me aside and do something bad."

He sighed, thumb stroking the back of her hand. He couldn't refute that claim.

"That's why you have your dashing and rich boyfriend, plus a newly reclaimed friend at your side to keep such an incident from happening." He kissed her hair as she snorted. "So just relax and enjoy the two hour flight."

Blue rolled. "As if there are things to enjoy while sitting in one spot for two hours straight."

He grinned. "I say we get a few drinks and a snack. I don't think the crew would mind if I do the ordering..."

She finally looked his way for the first time since they sat down and smirked. "Using your status to your advantage? You're incorrigible, Monsieur... Please do."

He chuckled and flagged down one of the staff at the earliest convenience. A list of champagne and food was brought out, and handed back not even a minute later. While he sometimes rode in first class when he could get away with it, he more often than not was in business class. One way for the company to save on expenses to one of the biggest drains to its wealth.

He managed to distract her by asking the few questions about her designs that he knew would send her on a tangent for the next hour...and subsequently get someone in the seat ahead of them interested in what she had to say. He was surprised when she fished into her purse for a small, cute container housing business cards she had made up after their trip to Milan, when she missed the chance to get her name out to complete strangers the first time.

"I'm not letting such free advertising opportunities slip me by again." She mused, slipping her purse back under the seat. She grinned at him with a wink. "I might miss one chance, but not the second."

The plane landed soon after they handed back the champagne glasses and plate empty of fruit and cheeses. He waited until the first wave of people had gotten their stuff from the overhead bins before getting up so he could let them out. They had all of their bags checked in, so he held her hand as they wove off the plane and headed to meet up with Chloe and Sabrina.

"Over here, Adrien!"

He turned to Sabrina's voice, smiling and tugging Marinette their way. He felt the grip in her fingers and turned to give her a supportive wink, unable to get words out as Chloe started in on needing to stretch her legs and get some water...as if she didn't have enough leg room for both of them combined and anything at her beck and call.

"Once we check into the hotel, they should have a restaurant available that we can get lunch at." Sabrina supplied, looking to her phone. A pair of thin, gold frames adorned her face. Her thumb went to push them up her nose, though it looked like it was more from an old habit than needing to actually do so.

Marinette listened to the two in front ramble on about food choices, getting checked in, what to do afterward, and getting out of the airport. She couldn't relax the death grip she had on Adrien's hand, but was only slightly fearful of crushing his fingers.

The pit of unease in her stomach opened to an impressive chasm at hearing Chloe Bourgeois complain like she had only a handful of years ago. It wasn't helping the past to stay in the past and to allow her to get over it either. A lot of old feelings were cropping up and none of them were welcomed. It almost made her skin crawl and a small niggling in the back of her mind suggested throwing up the expensive wine all over the airport's concrete floor.

He noticed the pensive, quiet look on her face and tugged them to Sabrina's side, putting him and Sabrina in between Marinette and Chloe in attempt to help. He hoped that the physical distance would do some mental good at least. "I say we focus on getting out of here first." He suggested, looking to his right. "Then get to the hotel and drop all of these bags. We can meet up in the lobby and see what their menu looks like or find the nearest cafe and get a light meal."

Chloe's tongue stuck out. "I'm all for not having to lug this thing around all afternoon, but I also don't want to go walking everywhere that's not connected to a mall." The four wove around huge, afternoon crowds. "Would it be too much to take a taxi and look around?"

She wanted to bang her head against the wall! As it was, she had to force herself to stop the eye roll partway before it was noticed. She couldn't possibly stand much more whining and rich girl woes. She actually wanted to take a stroll around the hotel and stretch her legs after two hours on the plane, plus sitting around after check-in. Part of her said they could split up, but she knew that's not why Adrien and Sabrina got her and Chloe to go.

This might be turning into more than she could handle and the only reason she didn't demand to get away right now was the fact that she didn't speak German, had no idea where she was, and France was a long ways away. Adrien also agreed to pay for the items she didn't want to mooch on, but that was mainly just souvenirs, meals, and any possible clothes. The Euro she had in her pocket might get her back home, but he had done a lot of asking, pleading, and convincing to get her here.

Perhaps she shouldn't have fallen prey to those puppy dog eyes and that charming smile...

She would have smiled at how he practically oozed charm and boyish good looks as he did everything in his power to get her to go the second Chloe's name left his lips, but her mood wasn't getting any better. She was well-aware that those two had been friends for a long time, but after her school days, she had no desire to be near a Bourgeois ever again. She doubted she'd even want to be near Chloe if Chloe asked her to take her measurements for an order...as if such a thing would ever happen.

A sudden squeeze got her out of her head and she suddenly realized everyone was looking at her. "What?" She asked, blinking wide eyes.

He gave a kind smile at the look of panic on her face. "Quick bathroom trip. Yes or no?" He repeated. He looked over, to Sabrina who was behind Chloe and looking over her shoulder at her.

She scurried around Chloe as if the need had been there all day with no relief until now. She didn't even need to head to the bathroom, but if she had to stand with Chloe and Adrien, her head might just explode and she would end up putting her foot in her mouth before the four days of vacation even started.

Thankfully, Sabrina must have been watching her and patted her shoulder once they blended into the crowds.

"If you need to say something to her, you can you know..." Sabrina kindly suggested. She pasted on a small smile when wide blue met hers. "Adrien and I are aware that something might happen before this is all over. We already talked about it on the phone after he got you to go."

"F – fine!" She blurted out, quickly shuffling closer as someone went around them. Hands waved in between them to dispel the confrontation she'd rather not have. Her brain kicked in and she realized what she said sounded bad and she sputtered a few syllables. "No...no! It's fine! I'm okay...really!"

Sabrina jerked a thumb behind her. "I also did come here to use the toilet. Did you?" She smirked. "Or was it to get away from Chloe?"

She flushed and looked away, hearing Sabrina snort in amusement as she headed away.

She heaved a sigh once the woman was gone and got out of the ever-increasing line. She went and washed her hands and patted her cheeks, flapping her hands in her face to get the heat to go away. This was supposed to be just a basic bathroom trip with no gossip involved.

'I can do this.' She mentally coached, staring at her reflection. 'All I have to do is just stay away from her as much as possible or turn a deaf ear. I got used to doing it in middle school; the skill has got to be around there somewhere.'

Except Alya, her usual ear, was nowhere nearby. She didn't want to spoil Adrien's vacation by doing nothing but whining the whole time about his childhood friend. While he agreed that Chloe did go overboard, he must have found something in her to keep being her friend for so long. She still didn't understand what the hell that was, but perhaps later tonight she'd have to ask him.

Red popped into her vision and she thought back to the years Sabrina had to put up with Chloe, ironing things out, but still remaining together somehow. The conversation when Sabrina had been troubled, eventually breaking down in her presence, came back to her and she tried to hold onto the feelings it evoked. Two of the three people she was with had her back and were there to help her through the past, and now her present. Adrien knew trouble might arise, but he still wanted to connect his life with hers in this way. She had to make an effort, too.

"Ready?"

She took a deep breath, eyes slightly hardened, and nodded. She went around the line and stopped in front of the pair, Chloe pausing whatever she was animatedly discussing when they approached.

"Geez. You were in there for way too long to just pee. The plane food wasn't that bad, was it?"

His hand whipped out and mussed Chloe's lipstick as he plopped his palm over her mouth, to her muffled annoyance, before she proceeded to put her foot in her mouth any further. "I thought girls didn't talk about such disgusting stuff like poop." He intentionally cracked with a forced smile. He moved away from Chloe's swatting hands and went to Marinette's side before the look on her face exploded into words. "Now that we're all good to go, let's go find that hotel of ours."

01010

The room was smaller than her time in Milan, although this wasn't about changing living conditions for the next few days. The entryway was narrow, but it opened up much more once they got past the minuscule kitchen-hallway, a place not much bigger than in her own dorm. There was a queen-sized bed, small eating table with only one chair, a small desk against the wall, and mini stand big enough to hold a flat-screen tv. The place was simple, but it was the design touches, like the all-wood closet wall and kitchen area,which made it interesting. The reddish carpet and huge window on the far wall made it seem like the room had personality, even though the walls were plain white.

"It's...cute." She responded, still looking around. She pulled the rolling suitcase further into the room and went to the window. They were a few floors up and the view was nice, even though it was just of the city with something of a small canal right in front. "Did you find the place?"

"I think Sabrina looked it up." He answered, looking out the window with her. He plopped his chin on the top of her head, arms going around her torso. "I haven't been here yet, but it's a pretty cool find."

She grinned. "I can't imagine you would have called here and checked out the room... Do you even know German?"

"Enough to navigate a webpage and make basic conversation." He easily returned, smiling at her surprised look. "But, Sabrina is way more fluent than I am."

"French, Mandarin, Italian, English, and German. What else do you know?"

His arms draped over her shoulders. "Well 'know' is a fairly high-level word, but that's pretty much it. The Italian is more for business, as is the English and Mandarin. I'm nowhere near Nino's caliber, mind you. He needs to tutor me in a few things."

"Maybe we should have brought him with. I'm sure he'd be happy to have an adventure outside of every other one he usually has." She cracked, accepting his quick kiss.

He let go and turned to the main door, hands on his hips. "And it would be awesome to have him, but that'll have to be for another time. Right now, we need to pick up the other half of our party and see about some food. And check out the lobby. It looked pretty good." He grinned.

She scoffed and followed him to the end, snatching her purse off the bed and double-checking for the extra room key. "Hopefully it's up to Chloe's standards. I'd hate for her to be disappointed."

He rolled his eyes a little at the dripping sarcasm and plopped a hand on her head when they reached the hallway. "Now, now...none of that. We're going to make the best of this. A fresh start. A way to make amends. Whatever you want to call it."

She scowled as he led the way to the other room. "If I start ranting in Mandarin, I've had enough of her for the day."

"Duly noted." He finalized, knocking on the door. It swung open in a second, Chloe on the other side. "Ready for adventure?" He asked with a smile.

"Let me get my purse." Chloe answered, whirling around for the interior. "And Sabrina."

"Is she in here with you?" He asked, stepping in.

"She's across the hall. Did you think I was going to share? I've never shared a hotel room yet and I've been living in them almost all my life." Chloe answered, striding past brown, spotted carpeting for the glass coffee table. A hand easily snatched up the leather strap and deposited it on her shoulder.

She couldn't stop admiring the place, mentally notating that, of course, Chloe would have a suite. The place was probably twice the size of theirs, with even more intricacies that were amazing...like a wall only wide enough to hide the king-sized bed and give it a small bit of privacy, the full-on marble and wood bathroom, and a slightly larger kitchen. The place was actually really cool and if they weren't already booked and she wanted to blow the money on whatever it cost a night, she would have asked Adrien to get them upgraded.

She mentally snapped to when he started her way and pointed to the door. She flushed a little at the knowing look he had, betting he caught her spacing out again. She scuttled into the hallway and let Chloe direct them to Sabrina's room. Chloe didn't even knock, just swiped a room key and opened the door. Before she could do much more than let her mouth fall open, Chloe was gone and Adrien was holding the door so they didn't get locked out.

"We're going to check out the restaurant on the ground floor. You ready?"

"What the hell?" She blurted out, trying to be quiet. She met Adrien's eyes, seeing him give something of a "what are you going to do" look with a shrug. She could have spouted fire from her eyes as she gripped his sleeve and stepped close. "Do NOT let her just do that to us while we're here!" She quietly snapped. "Make sure the door is locked and don't give her any other keys! How rude; she should have knocked!"

He heard the two inside quietly discussing something and kept half an ear out as he turned Marinette's way. "They've been friends for a long time. I guess Chloe feels comfortable enough to not need to knock..."

Her eyes narrowed to slits. "Well, I don't care how long the two of YOU have been friends, she knocks!"

"Restaurant downstairs it is."

She jumped and hurried away, trying to calm herself down as Chloe led the way out of Sabrina's room. She tried not to glower at the blonde and made sure to listen to the general outline the two had worked out before they headed for the elevator. 'Didn't even include the two of us. What the hell?! Is she going to do that the whole time?'

Adrien's hand suddenly made itself known around her fingers and gave a small squeeze. She looked to him and gave as quiet of a sigh as she could. She didn't join in the conversation about what kind of food the restaurant would have or what would be good in the middle of the afternoon. She didn't have a problem with trying new things, never one for being picky, but also being in the food business for decades helped, too.

"Well, I say we see how the place looks. If it's shabby, we can go somewhere else."

Her grip on Adrien's hand increased and she felt his arm pull away from the pain. She met his eyes, but was unable to relax her fingers.

"I say we eat there this one time and enjoy the place." She blurted out, unable to keep quiet any longer.

He managed to shimmy his fingers from the cracks of hers and flexed the poor digits. He forced a smile when the Chloe looked at him weird, Sabrina trying not to smile. "I'm with Marinette." He quickly added with a forced grin. "We're going to be here for four whole days, we should at least check it out before we branch out somewhere else. That way we don't have to go anywhere with rain in the forecast before we leave."

"I'm okay with that." Sabrina added, closing down the opposition. She gave Chloe a nod, as if to seal the deal of any argument. "We ARE going to be here for a bit, so we should explore the hotel for now. We can look outside for dinner tonight when it gets dark."

Chloe's arms crossed, a less-than-pleased look on her face at being the one no one agreed with. "It had better be on par with papa's restaurant or I'm not going to eat there again..." She acquiesced with a raised nose.

Just before she started dishing out blows, verbal or physical, the elevator doors swung open for the lobby and Chloe headed out. She exhaled as if she had been holding her breath the entire way and felt a pat on both shoulders.

"You did well..." Sabrina gently consoled.

"Good job, my lady." He added with a smile. "Please try not to shoot fire at her with your eyes from across the table though. She might notice."

"I make no promises." Marinette grumbled, catching the doors as they started to close.

 _Business_ _and_ _Deluxe_ _hotel_ _rooms:_ _deraghotels de/hotel-berlin-mitte/en/rooms/_


	72. Total head explosion

A day and a half. That was all she could take.

It had been a long afternoon with the evening not showing up fast enough. After locating a basic travel brochure from the front desk and Sabrina translating the events for them, Chloe disagreed with over half of them.

The Britzer Garten was bound to have a sleuth of insects and that meant mosquitoes. No way she was going to get bitten and have huge bumps for the return to Paris.

The Berlin City Tour by bus would be annoying in heels, especially when you had a little over a dozen sites to look at and pretty much had to stand around and wait for whenever the next bus showed up.

Berlin by bike was too much of a pain with the numerous, irritating bicyclists that were around. Apparently, Chloe had been to Berlin enough to know the culture, but SHE had not...although there were rude travelers no matter what country one went to.

The Alte Nationalgalerie was interesting, but only slightly. The last thing Chloe cared to look at was the Nazis which were part still a big part of the revolving timeline of the country. Sabrina made it a point to keep Chloe from spouting that word too much amongst all of the other attendees, despite Chloe speaking in French the rest of the time.

The only thing Chloe really cared about was shopping, but they only went a short distance before a taxi was required.

Her head had more than exploded and it was halfway melted into total disuse. It seemed like the only thing Chloe came to do in all of Berlin was sit in a cafe with shopping bags at her feet and look at the public below walking around!

This was the first time she had been to Germany and there was so much to do! The whole architectural design alone was amazing! The mix of pre and post-war buildings, some right next to each other, was fascinating. The citizens put the most interesting designs on the modern structures, with the original stone setups still going strong. They had a history all their own, from the carvings on the outside, to the turquoise-colored domes that came from the smog of the industrial revolution and twentieth century automobiles.

She wanted to walk in every direction from the hotel, find the nearest cafe they found, and have breakfast every day. She wanted to do the bicycle beer contraption they saw that looked fun to maneuver, although she knew it would be a better memory if Alya and Nino were here instead. She wanted to just sit with her sketchbook and draw every church they passed, artistic ideas boiling over with no creative outlet for them to go on. She wanted to enjoy this so much more than she wasn't and she didn't know how they were supposed to spend four whole days together and agree on every activity without killing each other. As it was, she had already envisioned either clamping her hands over Chloe's mouth to shut her up or wrapping them around her neck to throttle the woman.

The only thing that got her through night one was venting to Adrien. He took it well and only offered a tiny rebuttal to Chloe's behavior. He agreed that he was somewhat mentally tired and wanted a good, quiet night's sleep as well. It was nice to know that while he was trying to get her to spend time with his friends, he acquiesced that Chloe was a tornado and she was blowing over them right now.

They were in yet another clothing shop, Sabrina hovering near the changing room to help translate, when she couldn't take it anymore.

"I think we should just go our separate ways. That'd be for the best."

His hand went over a shoulder, giving a pat and another sigh. "I know how you feel, but don't you want to look around as well? Maybe check out some patterns for your next set? Look at some stitching?"

Her lips twitched, but fell just as fast as they rose. "I did that already. There's nothing that the last five shops don't have. They more or less make it all the same, so I have nothing left to peak my interest." She grabbed the hand and clutched at his fingers. "That's not even the real reason I came here anyway. Let's just go find that restaurant we passed an hour ago and have a seat. I want to try some German beer. Sabrina said a lot of the restaurants brew their own house ale! I might not be able to have much, but we can always share and I can have a few sips! I want to try their cuisine; see what it's like more than overpriced restaurants that only match Chloe's standards."

"Well excuse me for having high standards."

She jumped, trepidation going up the back of her spine at the voice she didn't want to hear. She didn't care to get into an argument with the woman, since she hadn't in years and she wanted that trend to continue. This was supposed to be Adrien's way of including her with his friends...except he was friends with Chloe Bourgeois. The girl who had done a good job of harassing and slightly terrorizing her during middle school and high school. As considerate as he was trying to be, perhaps he would've had a better idea of whom his "friend" was if he had gone to school with them.

It had to have been the years of annoyance, of ruined clothes, of botched projects, of having homework copied, of an overload of taunts that had her feet turning around by themselves. She had put up with it and had tried to fight back whenever she had been compromised more than she would allow. Going to others for help didn't matter with her father being the mayor at the time and Chloe used it to her advantage whenever she could.

Something in the back of her head snapped.

"I said, I think we should go somewhere else. Just Adrien and I. You two have fun with your extensive shopping trip which seems to be the only reason you came to an entirely different country. Go ahead and ignore how much more there is to see if you'd only get over yourself and just enjoy the experience!"

Chloe blinked, looking slightly unimpressed. Her arms slowly crossed, head tilted. "Do you think I've never seen the sights of Berlin before? Do you even think this is the first time I've been in this country? Like I've never taken a river tour or been in front of the Brandenburg Gate?"

"I haven't!" She burst out, voice louder than it needed to be for the store. The second she was aware of Adrien's hand on her arm, she brushed it off and took a step to Chloe. "I came to see the sights! We only have four whole days, but part of that is taken up by plane travel! I doubt I'll ever be able to come back for a long time and things might change by then. If you'd get over your hoity-toity attitude and let us do some things, you might ruin this a little less!"

Chloe looked behind her as Sabrina came into her peripheral vision, but didn't say anything. A hand came up from the blouse she had on and waved off the red-head from speaking. The pair quietly communicated for a second before Chloe shook her head and turned back. "Then go home if you're not having fun. We'll be fine here without you. Adri-kins can more than afford to readjust your plane ticket I'm sure."

He bristled a little. "Chloe, I'm not sending her packing just because -"

"You know that I didn't want her here anyway, Adri-kins. This was a mistake and you two both knew it yet you practically forced us to come here together when this is the last thing I wanted."

"I couldn't agree more." She bit out through clenched teeth. Daggers came out of her eyes and flew across the small space. Nails dug into her skin because she knew if she let go of the death grip on her fingers, they'd be slapping Chloe across the face. "Why don't YOU go home?! You probably have a private plane that you can call up at the drop of a hat and go anywhere you want to! Just fly back to daddy and your own hotel! Why did we have to be in the same hotel, let alone the same floor anyway? My sanity would have been saved from having to be mere doors down from you!"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Don't get so high and mighty and think that just because you have Adri-kins behind you that you're going to tell me what to do. No one tells me what to do, not even Sabrina. I do what I wish and if I felt so inclined, I'd go buy your plane ticket right now if I wanted to and send you packing."

"Don't you dare!" She fumed, finger snaking out and poking Chloe on the chest.

Manicured nails whipped out fast as a snake's strike and grabbed her hand before it could attempt a second. Ice blue narrowed to the chill of an ice berg. Chloe squeezed for only a second before throwing Marinette's hand to the side with a dangerous look. "Don't. Touch me." She retorted, easily staring Marinette down.

Sabrina put herself in between the two as they were almost nose-to-nose and looked to Chloe. "Okay, calm down here, Chloe. Let's not go causing a scene in the store. We're supposed to have fun here and bury the hatchet."

"Says who?" Chloe snapped back, not letting herself be moved away from Marinette. "Who was the one who thought I wanted to be friends with her in the first place? The last thing I need is to get cozy with someone taking Adri-kins away from me!"

"Get over yourself!" She bit out, glaring daggers over Sabrina's shoulder. "You're not dating him; I am! That was his decision. If he wanted you, he had plenty of time to pick you."

Winter took longer to show up in Paris than it did for Chloe's eyes to ice over. "And that's partially why I still don't like you! What do you know about him anyway, huh? Don't think I'm going to let you monopolize his time! He's MY friend! I had him first!"

He could feel eyes from everyone in the store and the last thing he needed was for Chloe to get his face in every German magazine for fighting with his girlfriend.

"Okay, that's enough out of you." He retorted, grabbing Chloe's arm. He grasped Marinette's as well, and gave Sabrina a quick look. "We're out of here. I don't care if you had things to buy. March."

"It's his decision who he spends his time with!" Marinette continued. "You don't get to decide that! And I know plenty about him!"

"Whatever! You've known him for what...a year? So you knew he was famous back in school; you know nothing about who he really is!"

"I know plenty!" She hotly insisted, halting just outside the door as she got in Chloe's face.

"What's his favorite animal?"

She hadn't been ready for the sudden interrogation and her mind blanked. She bristled at Chloe's triumphant look at being unable to give an immediate response. Her eyes flew open when something suddenly came to her.

" _Got a favorite animal? And gold or silver?"_

" _Cats over dogs. And the metal doesn't matter. Just don't get me my initials. That's not my style."_

"Cats." She firmly answered.

"Correct. Best color on him?"

A model, who was used to wearing every color yet having a specific part of the rainbow tailored to him was easier than the previous question. He had worn only a handful in every catalog because it's what matched his skin tone and hair color.

But, it wasn't what looked best on him...

"Black. It make his hair stand out and his eyes greener. Especially if it's a tux."

Chloe humphed, but nodded. "Favorite wine."

"Dom Perignon."

"Why?"

" _I'm_ _going_ _to_ _pull_ _the_ _wealth_ _rank_ _here_ _and_ _make_ _another_ _impression."_

" _Dom Perignon was more than enough."_

She grinned. "He likes to splurge and look rich on occasion."

"Favorite dessert?"

"Chocolate chip cookies."

"Favorite music genre?"

"He doesn't have one, but he plays techno a lot."

"Best part about his face?"

"When he doesn't style his hair and it falls in his eyes."

The questions came as fast as she answered them and Chloe looked in no mood to stop. They were as rapid fire as they could get, but it was amazing at how quick Marinette responded every time. It was like she already knew what Chloe was going to ask and had a memory of their time together at her disposal, like she was pulling up every single time they had together since he was introduced to her and had it in her hand to flip through.

It was actual rather flattering at how rapidly she answered and with such firm resolve, like she knew for a fact what was in Chloe's head. His heart fluttered and the world melted away just a little as Marinette started Chloe down, standing her down as if there was a power she had that was stronger than Chloe's. As if the length of years they had both known him were equal despite a huge difference.

"He might not say it, but he actually doesn't mind being out and talking to others when he has to do public presentations. He hates his degrees because he didn't get to choose them, and he would have rather gone to Sorbonne had he been given a choice. He never talks about his family because of what happened years ago. It's not like his father was ever a worthy role model though. He smiles when he has to, but doesn't want to. Sometimes he thinks up a lot of really weird ideas that might not be the best, but at least he doesn't sit there doing nothing the whole time." Marinette's arms crossed, a smirk slowly forming. "Give me something hard here, Chloe."

Chloe was silent at the jab, face even and eyes darting around Marinette's features. After a second, they narrowed almost thoughtfully, still silent. She finally looked over Marinette's head to him and smiled. "At least she's not going to screw you over like the others have."

His mouth dropped when a light bulb went on.

It couldn't have been...why would she put Marinette through all this just for a verification?

" _I swear to god, I'm never going to find real love..."_

" _Don't be so hard on yourself. Those women knew who you were, but they didn't deserve you! No one does; only I'm good enough for you."_

" _While I told you years ago that it's too weird for me to date you, Chloe, I sometimes wonder if you're right. It seems like people out there don't see me past my family name."_

" _Well, you have been in the business for a while. You're kind of a household staple at this point. Kind of like me."_

" _In France maybe, but I thought Italy was different. While father does a lot of business there, I thought that maybe I could be a little more incognito and find someone that was interested in who I am."_

" _Not going to happen, Adri-kins. I've had guys fawn all over me in half of western Europe since I hit puberty. Why do you think I required my own body guard at the hotel when I joined college? They don't let up once they find out where you live, so just take notes."_

" _I don't want to live at home just because I require a fence to keep myself safe. While those women get touchy, they don't actually grope me in public, you know..."_

" _Just don't be naive about it. You're special and you have been since you could walk. Your father saw to that. When you become famous enough for people to care about you, your private life goes away and never comes back. It's either sink or swim so you're going to have to figure out what you want to do in life. Sink under the weight of your father's name or swim with it and enjoy your time as an adult. That's what I plan on doing. If they laid out my future for me, I might as well do what I want with whatever I have left. I suggest you do the same and not worry about love."_

" _I'd rather experience it! Don't lump me in with you on that one."_

" _Pfft. We're going to have total strangers proclaiming it to us for decades until we're old news. Don't think you're much different from me on that one. I know you best, Adri-kins."_

"You...you didn't..." He mumbled, wide eyes finding Chloe's.

She stared for only a second before she smiled. "I have no idea what you're talking about Adri-kins. I came here to shop, but I suddenly feel like a beer." She ignored the pair and looked to Sabrina. "Where was that restaurant we passed last hour?"

Marinette's head was about to roll out its own muck with as much as it fogged over. She could only stare at Chloe's total change in demeanor as if a doppelganger had suddenly jumped in and took her spot. It was like the last twenty minutes of scathing remarks had never happened! Chloe appeared to not even remember, or care, that she had been giving the third degree mere seconds ago.

'What the hell was that all about?!'

She looked to Adrien for answers and was even more confused to find him shaking his head, hand over his face. A brow went up as she watched him, wondering how much he knew of Chloe's behavior and the whole thing.

"Okay, Sabrina found it. It's about a mile away, so we'll take a taxi there." Chloe looked around her as if to pick up a shopping bag and tsked. "You didn't even let me buy that skirt I saw, Adri-kins. I suppose I can have the hotel deliver it to me later if I feel like buying it."

She let Sabrina gently direct her to the corner, phone against her ear as she called a cab to find the nearest one. Her brain was full of questions with no solutions and it didn't look like Chloe was going to clue her in. Sabrina was busy spouting German to someone on the line and Adrien was oddly silent about the whole thing.

Tonight. She'd get answers tonight in the hotel room about just what Chloe put her through again that had her all stressed out. 'If Chloe isn't going to spill, I'll make damn sure he does.' She vowed, watching a taxi pull up.


	73. A glimpse into the past

"So, now that we're alone, mind regaling me with the hell just happened this afternoon? Why did Chloe's personality turn schizophrenic?"

He sighed and plopped on the bed. It lasted only a moment before he was up and headed to the window. He idly stared out at the view, trying to get his thoughts together.

If anyone needed an explanation it was Marinette and she rightly deserved one. She was important to him in so many aspects...he just wasn't sure how much he wanted to get into the pain of his wanna-be past relationships and sadden her.

"Chloe was...she..." A hand scrubbed his face. He slowly turned and sat on the bay window. His arms crossed, feeling only slightly uncomfortable about thinking of years that he'd rather forget. "I've been friends with Chloe almost since my father started the business. We did childhood modeling for a time, which turned into teenage photo shoots."

She plopped on the bed, arms propping her up as she stared at him. She kept her mouth shut at seeing how he looked to the floor and never her, how his lips tightened when he stopped speaking, how one foot idly fidgeted with the carpet a little. He was nervous or disgruntled about something and from the perturbed way he was acting, it must have been important.

When he remained silent moments later, she wanted to prompt him to speak, to give more clues as to why he was looking like he would rather talk about anything else. Part of her said to leave it alone, but she didn't want him holding onto whatever was bothering him. She was here to be by his side and that meant learning about some unpleasant things.

"And?" She finally nudged, unable to take the tense silence anymore.

He looked to the window again, city lights illuminating the dark. "Chloe likes to boast that she knows me best...that she's the only one who I deserve. She's...she's not too far off the mark and it's not exactly a huge exaggeration." Green looked to the floor again. "I've...done a lot. I've seen a lot. I've been to many places. Met a lot of people...a lot of women." His eyes flickered to hers only briefly at the last part of that statement. "I've been introduced to a lot of nameless faces throughout the years, mostly through father's business and social events. I've partnered with a lot of female models throughout the years. They turned out to be just as nameless as all of those that have been my fans."

He was silent again, almost pointedly so and she took that chunk of information he gave. Pondered over it. Tried to think of his teenage years and all of the countries he had been to. The languages he knew. The millions he was worth.

The women he met...?

She looked to the bed, thinking back to the opera house in Milan.

" _Some people_ _recognized_ _me._ _The_ _others_ _want_ _to_ _know about the_ _'gorgeous_ _Asian_ _model_ _with_ _me_ _tonight'."_

Magazines were quick to report on any changes in a famous person's life, no matter how small or trite they were. She had a feeling that her essence had been reported by a few in his social class and while they may not have been given her name that night, Adrien had reported her website brand and that was enough of a start. She remembered how quick they were to ask her who she was and tried to get as many details out of her as they could. If Adrien hadn't stepped in and spoke for her most of the time, she would have made his life horrible by now!

She looked to the ground with solemn eyes. She had been well-versed in the fashion industry...so she thought. She thought she had known how hard models had it with their faces on billboards in multitudes of cities they had never visited, on magazines they would never read. She had read so many of them herself, especially ones of Adrien. She had researched who he was, who his father was, the family business, and put it on a pedestal as something to aspire to. She had fallen for his face a long time ago without even knowing him.

'Nameless faces...'

"I'm not a 'nameless face' though..." She quietly denied, looking up to him with soft eyes. She stood and slowly went to him, arms lightly going around his waist. She gave an encouraging smile, though he didn't return it. "You know me and I just proved to Chloe that I know you..."

His lips twitched for a second. His arms went around her waist in return, chin resting on the top of her head as he idly stared at the kitchen area. "You're perhaps the only one who bothered to know...to stay around long enough to look past everything and understand..."

She stared at the collar of his shirt, arms tightening around him. He responded in kind, his lips lightly touching the crown of her head. She let that sink in, let the gravity of a past she had never known, would never be able to fathom, roam through her head.

"How many...? No... Just who did...um..."

"I've dated...quite a few women. Well, I suppose 'dated' is too strong of a term if I use our relationship as a basis." His lips pursed together as he tried to explain the surface of an emotional ocean he only ever skirted over and never dove into. "I guess it's better to say that I've met quite a few women. In France...in Italy. England. Northeastern American. China. Either business trips or during my study abroad. A lot of those women were more than happy to ask me out on a date and post pictures on the internet...but never last long when they found out who I am. For many who didn't like my personality or the dark side of my familial history." His cheek went over her hair, feeling how soft it was and taking comfort in that. He gave a sigh of contentment when the smell of her perfume met his nose.

The noise wasn't lost on her.

"None of them ever bothered to try so hard to throw me a birthday party when they found out how few I ever had. None of them ever fought me when I tried to buy them something. None of them ever used their talents to make me something completely genuine and so thought out. I've been toted around like Chanel, been flaunted a lot to other women by other women, and gotten attached far more than I should have. I should have known that it would've ended in failure. The signs were always there and I hopelessly stumbled past them. I don't know why I expected that person to be different than every other one that walked away before."

" _After you ran away like I was going to kill you, I realized that I couldn't apologize to someone whose name I didn't even know."_

 _0_

" _Do you like me, Marinette? Because I like you. A lot actually. It's been...hard...to do what I said I was going to do."_

 _0_

" _It's never going to change... You're not going to change... I'm just doing this to myself all over again."_

 _0_

" _If you needed space, I gave it to you. I was doing nothing next to you and I finally saw the pointlessness in it all. You had no time for me...you made no time for me."_

0

" _I love you. So much... I can't even begin to describe it so you can understand."_

He loved her for knowing who he was, for overlooking his family name, for bothering to take the time to spend time with him...for just staying by his side.

He got attached to someone because he wanted love. She knew of his home life and how terrible it had been...how it still was. He wanted someone to be with, who understood him, who could laugh with him and make him happy. All of those women had been wrong because they were biased by the magazine covers he had graced with that smile he gave the photographers.

Just like she had.

She had snuck out that initial day in the cafe because he had broken the image she created of him, with pointless facts that interviewers thought people wanted to know. He even told her that he wasn't able to really talk about himself because he would catch hell if his father got word of the things he said. She had been just as terrible to him as all those previous women had been.

But he kept trying to change that.

He didn't let her go when he confronted her about her light being on late at night and she ran away. He avidly kept trying to be her friend even though she was nervous and unsure about being with a world famous model. She was always perturbed whenever his status got thrown in her face. It didn't match the normal guy he was, who he didn't get to be.

"You poor fool!" She blurted out into his chest. She tried to squeeze him to death as her feelings tried to squeeze her chest and crush her heart. Tears dotted her lashes and soaked his shirt. "You poor, lovable fool!"

His snorted through a smile, kissing the top of her head as she apologized for how she had treated him in the beginning, how she realized that she was like all those other women who had used him for his status and then left...how many of them happily waved him goodbye and never contacted him after he left their country.

He waited till she trailed off, out of words to demean herself, and gently pulled away. "You might have had a rough start and been like all of them...but you're not in the end." He lightly kissed her and gave a kind smile. "You're my lady, my Marinette...the one I love. You mean so much to me for so many reasons."

" _You...Marinette. I love you... Just you... All of you. Everything about you."_

She burst into tears when that song hit her and the lyrics. They meant something entirely different than what she thought she knew. He was a lovestruck sucker that women threw away and jaded. He never gave up though because he wanted to be in love with someone and somehow he found her. Fate had put them together and forced them to keep going. He never gave up even after he said he was going to.

If Nino hadn't snuck her into the venue that day, where would he be now? Would he chalk her up to "one of those women" and find another just like her to fawn over?

The tears wouldn't stop and neither would the guilt. She recognized more than once how big of a mistake she had almost made, but she would never know until just now how much happiness she had almost thrown away. How much she had almost taken from him. He was devoted to her and he had listed the reasons, but she never saw the real value in them because she didn't know. She had never asked about his past because part of her really didn't care. She thought she knew from those magazines...from the time she spent with him. Knowing a few facts here or there didn't seem like a big deal and she took them in stride.

She knew nothing in the end., but she was glad she did now, even if she couldn't stop crying.

He rubbed her back, ears drinking in the repeated vows of love, of sorrow, of wishes that she would do more than any other woman had ever done for him. How she was going to create him an entire clothing line all his own so he could wear it and think of all the time and effort she put in to making it. How she was going to make him as many meals as he wanted, so long as he translated the recipes for her. How she was going to find ways to make him smile from here on out so he could make up for lost time.

Somewhere in the haze of her rambling, the fight from this afternoon came back. Chloe's severe interrogation and annoying upset came to her. She had been harsh and fast in her questioning, not unrelenting for countless minutes.

" _You're not dating him; I am!"_

" _And that's partially why I still don't like you! What do you know about him anyway, huh? Don't think I'm going to let you monopolize his time! He's MY friend! I had him first!"_

She thought it was just basic pettiness and Chloe was just spouting crap, but Chloe knew him for a long time. If Adrien's short description of their history together was correct, Chloe would have jumped at the chance to be his friend. She had been in the public eye for a long time too, whether it was the mayor's daughter, model, or being on tv because of her fame. Chloe knew what it was like and probably sympathized with him on a scale only few knew about.

" _At least she's not going to screw you over like the others have."_

In her own strange way, Chloe was only protecting him. Chloe knew more than most because Adrien probably talked to her. He didn't hide things about himself and if she ever asked him to repeat those things to her, he would tell her everything from A to Z. Chloe was aware of a lot of that and that's why Chloe didn't like her.

Probably...at least during this trip maybe...

She wasn't going to ask for an explanation of middle school or high school. She didn't want to rehash the years past when she would rather move on and live now. She had thought that's what the whole animosity was about. Now she wasn't so sure.

"Damn it..." She mumbled, pulling away to wipe her eyes. "Th – this means...I'm not allowed t – to hate Chloe now...right?"

He couldn't help it. He started laughing and squeezed her at the same time.

He didn't intend for such an outcome to happen. At best, he was only crossing his fingers that a multitude of cat fights didn't break out all over Berlin. He didn't think that one small fight would even partially end their feud and something of an understanding would come between them. The way Chloe backed down after Marinette started describing how many little things she knew was enough of a sign to him that she approved of Marinette...even a little.

He knew Chloe enough to know that while she wasn't going to be immediate friends with Marinette, she was more apt to be open about allowing her into their little trio. The fight might not have been wanted, but perhaps it was necessary for Marinette to get into their troupe into the first place. It might have been a good idea that it happened in Berlin, in French, so it didn't end up in any articles the next day. An unforeseen benefit, but still a good one.

"I won't expect you to be all buddy-buddy with her." He patted her head and looked at her. "But maybe you'll not get so upset at every little thing, hmm?"

She smirked. "More to the point is that I'm not going to hold back if I want to go somewhere else than another boutique."

He cringed a little, wondering if they really should continue the remaining few days together or break up for his and Sabrina's sanity or not. He'd have to wait and see.


	74. A much better vacation

While he liked the idea of Chloe and Marinette somewhat getting along, as odd of a concept as that was, he didn't think they'd turn as excessively protective, or obsessive, on who knew him better.

"He doesn't just drink dark ales. He does drink blond ales too, you know."

"WHO has been his friend for over a decade? I think that's me. And I know that Adri-kins prefers the dark ales because they have more flavor. Don't you, Adri-kins?"

"Please stop with that ridiculous, flirtatious nickname. As his girlfriend, I take offense that someone who is only his friend keeps using that in my presence."

"I've been using this since middle school, before you ever knew his name. That gives me the right to use it whenever I damn well please!"

"Can we just order already?" He piped in, propping his head up, the other hand drumming fingers on the wooden tabletop.

"I agree with AdriEN." Sabrina chimed in, pointedly looking at Chloe. She put the menu down and held a hand out to the waiter who was still trying to get their lunch choices. "This poor man has been standing here for minutes now while you two squabble over what Adrien can order for himself just fine."

He hurriedly went and did so before either woman across from him started picking out food choices. He went with neither of their beer options just to be safe so they didn't start in another round of who-bested-who.

He handed the menu back and took Marinette's hand with a smile. "Thank you for offering, but I CAN decide for myself what to order." His eyes playfully narrowed. "I am a big boy after all..."

She flushed and hunched her shoulders to her ears. "I – I...d – didn't say...you weren't..." She stuttered, grinning like an idiot.

"Oh?" His teeth threatened to show through his smile. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to unnecessarily coddle me, my lady..."

"Ugh, god. Spare me. Please don't start making out with her in front of me, Adri-kins." Chloe looked like she was going to be sick before the food even arrived.

Dark blue whipped to her side as fast as the proverbial ice water was thrown over the mood. "As if!" She retorted, sticking her tongue out. "I don't do that kind of stuff in public, but what's so wrong with letting him hold my hands or using his pet name? I find it utterly cute and he knows that."

"I do it to make her smile." He happily agreed.

"It IS cute..." Sabrina added with a sly grin.

"Uck! You are going to make me lose my alcohol before I get a glass in me." Chloe got up from the table and looked around. "Where's the bathroom in this place and what's the word for it anyway?"

Sabrina got up to help Chloe get to her destination and she took that blissful second to bask in his attention.

He took that second to try and get his love to behave for the rest of the afternoon they were here. "Please don't start screaming at Chloe in French. We're almost done here..."

She smirked. "I'd be screaming at her in Mandarin and you know it."

"That either."

She giggled and looked over as glasses of alcohol were put on the table near them. Sabrina came back and wove around the waiter, plopping onto her seat with a sigh. "That woman is never-ending..."

He patted Sabrina's shoulder with a sympathetic smile. "Thanks for taking one for the team." He cracked.

Sabrina rolled her eyes and looked Marinette's way. "Please stop antagonizing her. You know the wind blowing alone does a good enough job of that."

She snickered before forcefully reigning it in at the unhappy look on Sabrina's face. She cleared her throat and grabbed the huge ale glass. "Sorry to put you out so much..."

Sabrina glowered a little before taking a huge drink of her own dark beer. She put it down with a happy sigh, holding the glass up in appreciation. "I'm going to miss German beer when we go home. France's imports are too expensive for me to buy all the time."

"Except that Germany's normal prices are probably just as expensive as France's imports." He kidded, going for his Riesling.

"Except most french restaurants don't give you this much food." She commented, seeing huge plates being put forth at a nearby table. She looked at her seat mates with wide eyes. "What exactly did I order again?"

Sabrina grinned. "The Bavarian sausage parade." A hand snaked out and bonked Adrien over the head when he started laughing. "Not that!" She chided with an annoyed look. She met Marinette's eyes with a dry look. "Please kick him for me..."

Marinette smiled. "You're free to do so yourself." Arms crossed over the table as she watched a really full plate be set in front of its owner, feeling uneasy about being able to do anything after any high amount of food. "So...what is that entail exactly?"

"Pork sausages, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes."

Meat, carbs, and an acidic vegetable. "Shit... I'm not going to be able to finish it!" She groaned, putting her head in her hands. "Or move if I do! I don't want to waste food!" She gave a pitiful look his way. "I don't care if you're paying for it and you have your own meal; help me eat it!"

He grinned. "We could always take with us to the airport for either of us to snack on later, but I don't think Chloe would want to handle the smell in the same area she's in."

She perked up and looked the way Sabrina came from. "Speaking of, where did she wander off to? The middle of the earth to pee?"

Sabrina laughed, shaking her head. "She uh...actually said she might redo her entire makeup instead of hanging out at the table so she didn't get into an argument with you before the food showed up."

A raven brow rose. "That's oddly considerate of her."

"In her own way, I suppose it is." Sabrina gave with a shrug.

She sipped the beer, trying to be careful that it didn't get to her too much before the food arrived. "Well, the food had better get here so I can spend the next hour eating it all. I hate to waste good cooking."

"As a baker's daughter, I can imagine the rules..." Sabrina cracked with a smile.

She let Adrien break in with questions about the last few hours they were to blow before grabbing their things and heading home. She listened with half an ear as she admired the dark wood around the restaurant and the mass amount of lighting. The room was huge and open with only the kitchen getting walls to surround it for privacy. The wall with the only entrance door was full of windows as the primary light source, which did a great job. There were a bunch of tables set up and the doors were wide open. The place was great and she liked hanging out, though she doubted such a feeling would exist if Chloe were at the table with them...

After the conversation with Adrien in the hotel room, she actively tried to keep from thinking spiteful things about Chloe. She could tell that Chloe was also trying not to be such a pain after their little blow up in the middle of the trip. They seemed to have come to something of a truce, even if Adrien was the reason they still quibbled. She wondered if that would continue as girlfriend and best friend fought for dibs of his attention.

She smiled at the thought.

Never in a million years did she think she would be on equal footing with Chloe Bourgeois over anything! Granted, she could make whatever fashion that Chloe had to buy and thus her sense of style could be better; she did her own schoolwork and got good grades of her own merit; didn't have to rely on her family's name to get publicity for her future; was good-looking in her own way... Really, it seemed the only thing Chloe had going for her was a mass amount of money that she spent like it grew on her own private tree in her hotel room in France.

She stared at Adrien, admiring his smile as he got into whatever he was discussing with Sabrina while they waited for their waiter to return with their meals. She still didn't quite know what he found in Chloe to be her friend for so long, especially when he admitted that she often taxed him, but figured that she had plenty of time to figure it out now that she was getting on Chloe's good side.

A strange thought after their past together...

"The lighting in that bathroom was horrible!"

She startled as a purse was dropped in her vision. She jerked back and hit the back of the chair, raising the front legs off the ground by about an inch and grabbing the table before she toppled over.

Chloe looked at her as she sat down with a weird look. "What's wrong with you, space cadet? It's not like I snuck up on you."

Sabrina smiled. "She was just ogling her boyfriend's face." She kidded with teasing eyes.

Adrien winked Marinette's direction as Chloe rolled her eyes. "I left because of this! Don't tell me it's going to continue!"

She bristled a little and switched her glare from Sabrina to Chloe. "It just might if I feel like it. Is that a problem?"

Chloe sat back in the chair with a sigh and went for the forgotten wine in front of her. "I didn't agree to spend four days as a group to watch you make out with Adri-kins in my presence."

Marinette rolled her eyes, forgetting the fact that she was almost amicable with the woman next to her. "I'm not -"

The sound of a light "clunk" brought her attention from the blond to the waiter who gave an almost too wide smile when her eyes met his and she had a feeling he made the noise to distract her, or pointedly keep her from starting back up in the restaurant which DID have other customers in it.

She blushed at the thought of being an utter spectacle since they stepped foot inside.

"Bayerische Wurstparade...?"

A huge plate was suddenly put in front of her and all she could do was stare with her mouth wide open. She ignored Sabrina's amiable German and the clinking of silver ware as Adrien went for his food.

He smirked as he stared across the table, unable to keep the jab inside. "That's...one big sausage parade..."

She gave in and kicked him under the table.

01010

She never thought she'd be happy to be back in business class knowing that Chloe was in first class. It wasn't as uncomfortable being on the same plane with Chloe now, but it was still nice to be separated by the plane walls.

"I suppose this didn't turn out as terrible as I was fearing." She mumbled, leaning back in the seat with a sigh.

Click.

He smiled her way, patting the hand resting next to his on the armrest. "I'm glad you two came to something of an agreement."

She snorted and gave him a raised brow.

"Or truce. A cease-fire. Parlay. Something like that."

She bent over the armrest and kissed his cheek, settling her head on his shoulder. "Something like that..."

Mere moments after the remaining passenger was on board and buckled in, the basic plane announcements started up and then they were moving out of the runway. She marveled at how far she had come yet again in another trip with Adrien. They had met in France, she had confessed her love for him in Italy, and had somewhat won a kind of consent from his dearest friend in Germany.

It had been a strange half year to say the least, and an even weirder school term. She thought on the months of time with him, going all the way back to him confessing his love. Her mouth went dry as she remembered that night and she sweetly tortured herself with the memory for half the flight.

Perhaps something of a reenactment was in order when they got back to his laptop...

It had been a full time of events and she would add this to something she would look back on when the future was the present. As it was, they had July and August to go through before the September semester of their final year came up.

'The last semester and then I'll be done. He'll have to start another program, but I'll be finished with school.' She mused.

She kind of felt sorry for Adrien, knowing that his time would still be full of pointless studying that she knew he really didn't need. There really wasn't much left that he couldn't learn by shadowing his father, should there ever be an opportunity. From what she knew of his program during their study time together, it really was fairly similar with obvious class differences separating them.

It looked nice on paper and what father could boast his son had not only a bachelor's, but two master's degrees in the field? Given that Adrien was young and wouldn't even be thirty by the time he got done with school, it was still something he could suffer through. If he was ten years, five years older even, she doubted his father would waste such time on two whole masters degrees.

Not like he didn't have the money to blow and time to waste though...

She wondered if he would continue on and take his father's business whenever the man retired or most likely died. She couldn't see someone like Gabriel Agreste just handing over the reigns to his son since he made the whole thing from scratch with his own vision and talents. She didn't know what would lie ahead, but hoped Adrien would be happy with his choice. She had personally decided on her future, even if his father had shaped some of her vision that lay dormant in her. It was still something she chose to do in the end...something he never got the luxury of.

She snuggled into his shoulder a little, smiling a little when his arm snaked around her back and tugged her closer.

'I hope he gets to enjoy his time soon... He's always been unhappy. I hope some good comes to him before he's twenty-five.'

When the last semester was done and she graduated, most likely she'd move back in with her parents and begin some serious work to get her company off the ground. Actual, hard-core marketing with whatever models Nino or Adrien could get her, having her friends discuss her business to whichever co-worker they were with at the time. Finding more websites to sell her goods from, even though she already had her own. Maybe just paying for online advertising to keep Alya's sister's wrath off her.

When that happened, gone would be the days of seeing him every day. He would be in class most of the time and she would be living back at home by the graces of her parents. While the setup would be a tad easier, she could do marketing while he was in class and spend the evening with him, they wouldn't be able to share a bed so easily anymore. Thinking of that part made her heart twinge in sadness and she clenched her jaw to fight off the tears of such a thing that hadn't even happened yet.

'I should find something fun for us to do for the last two months before school starts back up.' She pondered. 'Maybe I should actually get started on his line and market it to others. Naw, that wouldn't be fun. He needs his own set of spots.' She suddenly grinned and snuck a look at him, finding him dozing a little. 'Maybe I should make his own special brand. Kitty paw prints for my sleepy kitty... Sounds nice.'

 _Restaurant:_ _maximilians-berlin de/en html_


	75. An unusual birthday present

July went by too fast. August was already here before he knew it, but at least he was free from his father's fashion designers' clutches for a few more months. It was time he could spend lounging around, going to the gym a few days a week just to keep in shape, and spend time with his girlfriend.

Only to learn her birthday was the thirtieth.

He had forgotten about that one tiny, massively important detail with Berlin messing things up. It was enough of a job trying to keep Marinette and Chloe from killing each other for half of the trip, trying to save his ears from their squabbling during the rest of it. He didn't even know it was then until Alya mentioned it during a group coffee meet-up at the tail end of July.

He had pulled Nino to the bathroom to fake his initial freak out at being a random pin in the back of his shirt that he insisted Nino was the only one who could remove.

" _Shit!_ _What_ _the_ _hell_ _do_ _I_ _get_ _her?!_ _She_ _can_ _do_ _everything!" He_ _bemoaned,_ _hands_ _trying_ _to_ _pull_ _out_ _his_ _hair._

" _You_ _already_ _took_ _her_ _to_ _both_ _Italy_ _and_ _Germany_ _in_ _the_ _span_ _of_ _a_ _few_ _months,_ _dude._ _Call_ _it_ _that_ _and_ _be_ _done_ _with_ _it...?" Nino_ _suggested_ _with_ _a_ _raised_ _brow._

" _That_ _had_ _nothing_ _to_ _do_ _with_ _her_ _birthday_ _and_ _more_ _for_ _mine_ _and_ _my_ _own_ _selfish_ _benefit." He_ _denied,_ _shaking_ _his_ _head._ _His_ _arms_ _crossed,_ _scowl_ _on_ _his_ _face. "She's_ _amazing_ _and_ _I_ _don't_ _know_ _of_ _anything_ _I_ _can_ _do_ _which_ _can_ _rival_ _her_ _talents." He_ _grabbed_ _Nino's_ _arm_ _and_ _shook_ _it_ _a_ _little. "She's_ _so_ _awesome!_ _She's_ _talking_ _about_ _making_ _me_ _my_ _own_ _fashion_ _line_ _with_ _my_ _own_ _logo_ _and_ _everything!_ _I_ _snuck_ _a_ _look_ _at_ _her_ _sketchpad_ _one_ _night_ _and_ _it's_ _really_ _good._ _How_ _do_ _I_ _compare_ _with_ _that?"_

 _Nino's_ _head_ _shook_ _in_ _silence,_ _insistently_ _taking_ _his_ _arm_ _back_ _when_ _it_ _was_ _still_ _being_ _shaken. "If_ _you're_ _so_ _stuck_ _on_ _doing_ _something_ _that_ _she_ _can't_ _do,_ _why_ _not_ _just_ _give_ _her_ _something_ _that_ _you're_ _talented_ _in?_ _And_ _no,_ _I'm_ _not_ _talking_ _about_ _anything_ _to_ _do_ _with_ _modeling."_

 _A_ _finger_ _rubbed_ _his_ _lip_ _as_ _he_ _thought. "What_ _the_ _hell_ _am_ _I_ _good_ _at?_ _My_ _face_ _has_ _always_ _been_ _my_ _best_ _thing_ _that_ _I've_ _capitalized_ _on._ _She's_ _already_ _got_ _the_ _rest_ _of_ _me_ _below_ _my_ _neck_ _so_ _-"_

" _Stopping_ _you_ _right_ _there!" Nino_ _butt_ _in,_ _slapping_ _his_ _forehead. "Don't_ _need_ _nor_ _want_ _to_ _know._ _Mar_ _is_ _practically_ _my_ _sister_ _and_ _I_ _don't_ _need_ _to_ _know_ _about_ _my_ _sister's_ _'love_ _life'." Nino_ _heaved_ _a_ _sigh,_ _pinching_ _the_ _bridge_ _of_ _his_ _nose_ _under_ _his_ _glasses. "If_ _it's_ _not_ _obvious_ _to_ _you_ _by_ _now,_ _I_ _guess_ _I'll_ _have_ _to_ _spell_ _it_ _out_ _for_ _you." A_ _hand_ _reached_ _out_ _and_ _lightly_ _slugged_ _Adrien_ _on_ _the_ _shoulder. "I've_ _been_ _wanting_ _to_ _collab_ _with_ _you_ _ever_ _since_ _you_ _played_ _piano_ _in_ _the_ _shop_ _months_ _ago._ _Make_ _her_ _a_ _musical_ _piece,_ _duh!"_

He hadn't touched a piano since that afternoon which was pure happenstance in the first place. He had never considered himself gifted in any musical instrument, especially coming from Nino's mouth. His friend was the person who had a true gift and he paled in comparison. He highly doubted that, just because he knew what keys sounded like what, it merited getting together with an aspiring musician who was doing alright for himself in the last few years.

But, he remembered Marinette's reaction to the song he played that one time...

" _I'm_ _sorry...I_ _don't_ _know_ _why...I'm_ _crying..._ _It_ _was...beautiful...I_ _guess..."_

" _If you like my playing that much, I'm sure we can make use of that rusty old piano at my father's house sometime. I'm sure it's probably grossly out of tune though."_

He had forgotten all about that random statement and at the time didn't particularly mean much by it. He didn't think he'd ever visit his father's home when he could be by Marinette's side let alone take her there. The idea wasn't out of the realm of possibilities, but he didn't want to share Marinette with his father yet...or at all. Anything to do with "Agreste" and Marinette didn't sound highly appealing...but he did know his father's busy schedule for the most part. It wasn't hard to find out when his father wouldn't be home so that he could do this without actually having to talk to the man...

It was going to be slightly annoying, especially since he'd have to talk to Natalie and she was, by nature, a person who picked up on the smallest details. It was her job to find the info in one word comments and short phrases. He'd need to be sneaky about this, an easy feat, so he could do this vague plan that was forming in his head.

This was going to take time, but time he had, and a friend who was more than willing to help him put something together now. Thankfully, he had a few weeks to get this down. The only problem was that he was going to have to be away from Marinette for most of that...

01010

"I don't think this chord sounds good. Try it an octave lower."

He was going to smack his head against the wall at how picky Nino was being! He had originally just planned on playing that old cartoon piece he played a long time ago, but just practice it enough to get good at it. Nino was pulling out all the stops, probably because he had promised to do something with him, and it was getting annoying.

"I don't think we need to worry about this much..." He lightly groused with a dry look. He gave a light cry when Nino's hand plopped on his head. "Hey! I just gelled that!"

"Tsk, tsk, Agreste. If music we make, we make it right. I'm not going to half-ass this in the slightest. I haven't yet, and I don't plan to even if it's mainly for your benefit." A sly grin broke past the irritation. "Besides...I may just take this for myself and alter it so I can put it on a cd."

He shook his head with a laugh at the wheels he could see moving in Nino's head. "Be my guest. This is only a birthday present and if it ends up on a disc, that means I can give it to Marinette and she can remember it in the future."

"Well shit, we can record it then if that's what you want." A thumb jerked near a pile of machinery slightly hiding behind the couch. "I have everything available now if you had plans for it. Just takes a few minutes to hook up and then I can transfer it all to my laptop."

He plopped a hand on Nino's shoulder when his friend made to stand. "One thing at a time. First, I have to figure out just what the hell I'm doing here and THEN we can record it once it's actually complete." Fingers positioned themselves over the keyboard and looked to brown eyes. "Okay...one octave down. Let's not take all day at this because Marinette is already curious enough when I fibbed and said that I told her I was going to spend time with my 'long lost friend Nino'."

Nino snorted and pushed his ball cap up a little with a grin. "Long lost isn't far off the mark. You two have been glued at the hip since the club and that's pretty much the last Alya and I have heard of you." Brown gleamed a little. "Not that we want to hear everything mind you, but it's nice to get a little silence concerning relationships with Mar." Nino's head shook and he leaned forward, plunking a few keys on the keyboard. "Hmm, that's a better mix..." He mumbled, going for sheet music he had been jotting notes on.

Being reminded of last year when he'd rather conveniently forget it didn't help the feeling of discomfort that crawled through him. "Well thankfully you don't have to worry about stuff like that anymore with me and Marinette." He mumbled, eyes on the keys.

"I didn't mean anything by it, Adrien." Nino mumbled, plopping a hand on his shoulder. "Let's just forget I ever mentioned it and focus on what you came here for before Mar starts texting me to give you back because she wants your studly body for her measuring tape."

01010

It had taken weeks. He didn't think putting together chords took so damn long, but in the end it was worth it. The piece was slow, slightly complicated, and beautiful. He let Nino have the rights to it, since the man practically wrote the whole thing for him with very little input that he had to give. Nino burned the song to a cd for both him and Marinette, which he was thankful for. It was gorgeous and he was proud of their work.

The sheet music had been written and Nino loaned it to him for what he needed. Although they had practiced it over and over and he felt his fingers might be fine, he was really nervous right now. This was something he put together with a barely-there talent that he never actually liked. Piano was not something he wanted to utilize in his adulthood, but here he was...in a taxi on their way to an empty mansion to perform for her.

He supposed they could have gone anywhere else and it would have been okay. He could have used Nino's work again, but that was cheap. The piano at the mansion was in a much classier room with no extra people who might barge in since the shop door would be wide open.

From what Natalie told him, his father had an interview with a magazine and would be gone for little over an hour. Long enough for them to get there, play about a fifteen minute piece, show her around his old room, and head out.

"Don't be nervous. I know it's your father's house, but you'll be fine."

His head darted to the one resting on his shoulder, feeling smaller fingers squeeze his much bigger ones. She looked up with an encouraging smile, nodding after a second as if to accentuate her point.

He hadn't said what they were really going over for, mainly stating that he wanted to get a little different wardrobe out of his closet and asked if she wanted to head over to see his room and the rest of his stash of clothes. He said he wanted to go now because he knew his father wasn't in and he didn't care to see the man either. She had no idea of the actual itinerary in his head.

He forced a smile, taking a deep breath to try and calm his nerves a little, and patted the hand entwined with his. "Yea...it'll be okay. No problem."

He knew she'd like it, but he wouldn't know for sure until his fingers hit the last keys.

The taxi pulled up in front of the gate moments later and he stared at the immense stone structure. There was a whistle of amaze near him as the taxi drove off and he looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I'll be honest...I've seen pictures in magazines, but I didn't think that it'd be this large of a house." A hand idly put a chunk of loose hair behind her ear. "Structure. Mansion. Estate...something like that."

He smiled and took her hand, punching in the security code to get the gate to unlock. He pushed it open and held it open for her, letting it shut as they headed through the courtyard.

"You can call it a mausoleum. I did when I was in high school cause I hardly left the place, but it felt as still as death in there."

She gave him an odd look as they paused in front of the main door. "An...odd concept..."

He shrugged and punched in a second code for the door, opening the way for a lot of black and white interior.

She looked around at the huge entrance with wide eyes. The high ceilings going up to the second floor, the fancy walkways that led to other rooms in the house, the amazing floor design and doors. She didn't even realize she had stopped walking until her arm jerked a little as Adrien still headed inside.

It was a look he'd seen on a few people before, but on her it was cute. By now, he expected it and it didn't shock him. He had seen her home, taking up its many small layers on the corner of a building and had shared a dorm with her for months. This place was probably all of those rooms combined in triplicate.

He gave her fingers a squeeze with a slightly playful look. "Be careful you don't get lost in here, my lady." He teased.

She jumped and mentally snapped to at the tone, shaking herself and following him as he directed her to some room on the ground floor. The house seemed empty, but she figured if the main owner was gone, what was the point in anyone else being there at the time? She remembered he mentioned having a chef, which seemed likely in a place like this, but what was the point in utilizing the person until it was around mealtime anyway? No one else seemed about and she almost felt they were trespassing in an abandoned home.

His mention of a mausoleum was spot on. The place had something of a chill, even for the end of August with the humidity lingering, and the silence was uncomfortable. The sounds of their footsteps on the floor echoed like the ones in the church they had visited during their time in Italy, but this place felt much less pleasant than that church. The black and white made the place seem like no one had any fun here.

Course, she was comparing it to her parent's house, and it WAS Gabriel Agreste...a man who was known to be fairly stuck-up and hard to get to know.

"Here we are." He quietly announced, closing the door behind him.

She took the room in, finding it just as regal and lacking any homey personality as the entrance hall. It was well-decorated of course and pristine.

It looked like no one had touched this room ever.

"Nice place..." She mumbled, almost pushing the words out. She idly followed him as he headed for the piano near the windows and patted the extra spot on the bench. "I get what you said about it being tomb-like..." Her lips pressed together. "I...kinda see why...you like staying at the dorm..." She hedged as she sat down.

He gave her a kind smile, kissing the top of her head. "It's a nice place, but it's just not for me." He finalized, reaching into his jacket for the hidden music sheets.

She heard the crinkle of paper and severe confusion set in. "Hey...why are we at a piano anyway? I was just following you randomly because I was taken by the architecture. I thought we were going to see your room!"

He smiled and put a somewhat shaky hand on her shoulder. "We will certainly do that. I wasn't lying when I said I would like to spruce up the wardrobe at the dorms. There is something I'd like to do first is all." A hand caught her chin, gently directing her face to his. "I didn't want to spoil the surprise because where's the fun in that...?" His mouth lowered, giving a tender kiss. "Happy birthday, my lady. I kind of, sort of worked this out with Nino over this last month so I could get you something special like you always do for me."

"I don't -"

His lips immediately cut her off, hand trailing to the back of her head. He let go after a minute and situated to face the keys. "Everything you do for me is special and I'm highly inadequate. I've hardly compared to the raw talent you possess and don't even think my money is going to come into play here. That's just my job." His hands located the right notes before he gave a quick, sideways glance. "So just enjoy the miniscule present that I thought up at the last minute."

She watched his hands plunk the first few keys, going somewhat slow. The spell he wove had her eyes on his fingers, going at a leisure pace the whole time. His fingers never paused for a second, hitting white and black before flying off to some other side of the piano to do the same thing. The noise permeated the silence, making it seem strange for such a place.

It was gorgeous.

His eyes never once strayed her way to check for her reaction. She was kind of glad because it was hard to breathe with the way he had woven the spell around her. She occasionally felt the bump of his shoulder against hers, but only slightly. The feeling in her feet had left perhaps a minute into the song, the inability to know more than anything past her ears hard. Her head had shut down, eyes glued to black and white and the dexterity of his fingers.

Somewhere in the back of her head, she realized that he was doing this for her birthday and that he had spent most of the time away from her with Nino for her sake. He had probably made up the whole "Nino being lonely since they started going out" and his friend missing him so that he could utilize Nino's services for her birthday.

She sat as still as stone, barely feeling her hands in her lap or the minute rise and fall of her chest. She hardly remembered to breathe, thankful the ability was innate because she would've passed out from lack of oxygen a long time ago.

The amount of feelings that sprang up and hearing what he had created, albeit with Nino's help, wrapped around her and kept her from noticing anything outside the distance of the piano. Her heart was beating so fast and there was the smallest amount of adrenaline going. She lost herself to it, barely able to blink despite the tears in her eyes.

He was still good, even if she knew he didn't care much for the instrument, and she was glad to hear him play again. She didn't think she'd ever get to and it'd been months since the first time. She had almost given up on the luxury of sitting with him like this, being the star as he caressed the keys for her sake.

She was going to have to suggest they hang out at Nino's place a lot more after this, or make other trips to his father's house whenever the man was gone on business so she could steal a few moments like this in the future.

He went through three total pieces, the tone and keys changing whenever he let the last set of chords draw out. She didn't care what it was he was playing because he captivated her with all of it. It kept her rooted to her spot, afraid to move lest she pop the bubble of beauty surrounding them. She wanted him to play forever, to watch his arms move and his fingers twitch. Those same, strong arms that had held her so gently; those lithe fingers that clutched the back of her neck when he kissed her with such passion. To watch the shadows dance around his fingers with the sunlight streaming in somewhere nearby.

She wanted a copy of everything when this was over. She wanted to sit in her bed in the dark, in the daytime, alone, with him, and just listen to this over and over to imagine these moments again and again. She tried to imprint this in her mind, but it wasn't holding anything past the simple ability to listen and recognize the basic situation.

She didn't want him to stop, but stop he eventually did. When his fingers found the last set of chords and he held them, drawing out the final seconds back to the silence, she felt like the trance had broken in two. The bubble popped and she was regretful. The ability to feel returned, the air rushed back to her lungs as if held back by a dam of sound. She gulped air with just enough force to be noticeable to him. The tears lining her eyes finally broke at the movement, though she let them fall ignored.

"Marinette? Are you okay?" He turned to her in a second, heart pounding as he waited for her response, but worried at what he saw. He searched her face, finding her almost out of it. His thumbs wiped her cheeks dry, brow furrowed. His hand cupped her cheek when she never responded. "My lady?"

Somewhere in the back of her head, she knew she had to answer him. It took a few commands for her arms to listen to her, but one finally mimicked his hold on her face and brought his lips to hers. Her fingers trembled just enough to keep her hold weak.

She didn't want him to stop. The return to the room felt foreign more than her first time visiting the place. He had taken her somewhere and brought her back without her consent. "It was...gorgeous...beautiful... Thank you." She whispered, pulling back to stare into his eyes. "I didn't want you to stop..."

He broke out into a bashful, kind smile and kissed her forehead. His fingers trailed down her cheek and rested on a shoulder, giving a small pat. "I'm glad you liked it so much, my lady. Nino made copies for both of us for later, even though he's going to put this in a future cd of his own."

She smiled a little and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad. I want a copy to listen to whenever I want. To remember this whenever I want when you can't get to a piano."

His arm went around her with an amused snort. "Perhaps I should have Nino coach me a little more since you seem to like me playing so much..." He mumbled, resting his chin on her hair.

Her eyes closed as she gave a sigh of content.

"What's she doing here?"

The new bubble burst as abrupt as the other one had.

They jolted apart, her heart hammering in her chest at a voice she had heard only a few times on television and once in person. She didn't think she'd ever be able to hear it again.

A feeling of trepidation went up his spine at the tone of voice, a shiver accompanying it. The feeling of not making it out in time went through him. He had wanted to just play this bit for her and get out. He didn't think he'd have issues here.

"F...father..." He mumbled, slowly standing.

 _Song 1: youtube com/watch?v=m1iOKKLsw6A_

 _Song 2: youtube com/watch?v=Q63_TWPnig0_

 _Song 3: youtube com/watch?v=O_PaUczmTOY_


	76. Paying the piper

She was told that Gabriel Agreste was to be at an interview with some fancy, famous magazine for a while. She didn't care if he was or not and it didn't alter her decision to come here in the first place. She went because she had nothing better to do and school didn't start till the middle of September.

She didn't think she'd be so lucky as to meet her idol twice in the same year, let alone within six months!

"Wh...what are you...doing here?" He heard himself mumble. He slowly stepped around the piano as if a dangerous snake were near and he was trying not to upset it. It might as well have been for the disapproving stare his father was directing their way. Gabriel seemed perturbed about something, but wasn't saying anything after his initial interruption into the moment.

"The interview was cut short by my own design." Gabriel responded, taking a few steps into the big room. Hands clasped behind his back as he stopped almost halfway in and flicked his gaze between the two of them. "I wasn't going to waste my time answering such basic, pointless questions that can be found by speaking to anyone in my PR group." A brow flicked up only briefly as eyes sharp as tacks landed her way for a second. "Explain, Adrien."

He jumped a little at the curt tone, feeling his father's eyes poke up every nerve in his spine. He quickly took Marinette's hand and tugged her to him a little. "I know that I haven't introduced her to you yet, father and I apologize. Gabriel Agreste, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Marinette, Gabriel Agreste."

She quickly bowed before realizing what it may look like, and tried to keep her heart from jumping out of her chest. "It's such an honor to meet you, sir!" She tried to hold down her smile at seeing the one person she aspired to be like standing right in front of her. She took a few steps to him, hand out to shake. He looked to it, then back at her, hands still behind his back. Her fingers curled in her embarrassment and trembled a little at how he outwardly showed his displeasure of her.

She mentally shook herself and tried again. "I've been such a big fan of your work for years! All of your patterns are so cutting edge and I've never been able to figure out just how you do it for so long. Your drive and success even helped me get my own fashion business off the ground, and I admire you for doing everything by yourself!"

Silence met her praise, not a flicker of emotion crossing Gabriel's face. He met her eyes without blinking and it almost made her want to sweat, to feel like she'd said too much. She shuffled back the smallest of steps toward Adrien, needing the moral support and expertise he had in dealing with his father.

"You're a designer?" Gabriel finally asked, one brow going up a bit.

She quickly nodded. "I've been at it since middle school. I found your work around that time and I've had my own business since probably high school. I even have my own webpage and everything!"

There was another lengthy pause after her information. Gabriel didn't adjust his stance or any feature in his face as he stared at nervous blue eyes. "Is that so...?" He finally responded. Dark blue eyes flicked Adrien's way. "Judging by that fairly emotional display just now, you two are...dating, I assume?"

He took a few steps toward Marinette, though kept his hands to himself. "We have been since this spring, father." He supplied, meeting the man's eyes.

Gabriel stared at Marinette almost pointedly so. "Since just before this year's fall and winter catalog collection came out, am I correct?"

There was something in the back of her mind that was trying to poke awareness to something, but she couldn't quite catch it. It was like water in her grasp. A quick, desperate grasp. "Y...yes, sir..." She hedged, nervous fists quickly hidden behind her back. She adjusted her posture, tried to stand up straight and act as presentable as possible in front of tremendous pressure that was coming out of those less-than-happy blue eyes.

"That information, while 'interesting', doesn't explain what you're doing in my house." Gabriel evenly answered, face turning a little stormy. "You have less than five minutes to explain who you really are 'Marinette Dupain-Cheng' before I call my lawyers and the police on you."

She jumped, eyes flying open. "What?!"

He took a step in front of her, glaring. A hand protectively went in front of her. "What's the meaning of this? I won't let you do such a thing!"

Gabriel's irritation turned up a notch and it was unleashed Adrien's way. "Then perhaps you can help provide me with some minor details as to why Monsieur Lahiffe's personal assistant is in my home and a fashion designer instead of a musician's assistant!"

Her mind wiped itself clean, the ability to speak leaving her. She stared back into accusing blue eyes, a very clear threat behind them, mouth dropping open.

She had forgotten about that the first time she had met him, when she was trying to pretend she was someone she wasn't...

" _So_ _what's_ _she_ _doing_ _here_ _then?"_

" _She's my new assistant, but she's not very acquainted with fashion as she is with music."_

" _You didn't have an assistant the last time you were here. Why do you need one now?"_

 _0_

" _You need to be careful of where you're at. Your actions are giving you away to people that can't really hear us."_

" _I'm not intentionally trying to get kicked out..."_

" _Worse will happen if this gets back to father. You're going to make Nino face some fairly serious consequences if father finds out what he did for you."_

 _0_

" _You don't need to discuss anything with her. I like the song and it'll work. That's all you need."_

" _I said such things to Monsieur Lahiffe the first time he came back and assured him there would be no discrepancies in his work or ours. Now take your assistant and please let us do our jobs."_

" _Thank you for your benevolent services again and I look forward to hearing from you in the future, Monsieur Agreste. My assistant and I will show ourselves out."_

Shit, shit, fuck! She was so screwed! No, screwed was too nice of a term. She was going to go to jail over sneaking into a closed fashion venue that was still guarding its next season's catalog from the public just so she could make up with Adrien! She had lied about who she was with Nino's verbal assistance and insistence to his security crew, production, and Gabriel himself.

She wanted to pass out...or maybe throw up...or maybe just slide to the floor because she couldn't feel her legs anymore.

She knew enough about fashion to know that next season's designs were heavily guarded because once someone stole a design and made it their own, that was it. If someone found out and took someone else's ideas, it was a long and expensive court battle of whose word against whose. Showcasing models on the catwalk was one of the best ways to say "I made this". She had just admitted that she was a designer of many years experience and had spun her words in such a way that just made her seem like she was trying to do the very thing big corporations tried not to let happen.

Explaining everything wasn't going to do any good. Would he even believe, let alone care, that she was merely trying to keep from losing Adrien in her life and it was the only way she could think of salvage their relationship as quickly as possible?

Yea right.

"Ah..." He mumbled, eyes wide. The arm in front of Marinette dropped to his side at one memory he didn't think would harm them this much. He never went home, never thought it was a big deal to introduce Marinette to his father. He didn't even want to spend time with the man, let alone introduce anyone he cared about to the rest of his family. Her face had been unknown to his father, as was the rest of her life...until now.

He never considered that one moment, a paltry few minutes, would send Nino or Marinette to jail for trespassing.

"Judging by your response, or lack thereof, you remember that evening at the venue." Gabriel continued, locking eyes with Adrien's. Ice blue swept to wide, panicked blue. "And judging by your level of alarm, it's safe to say you know exactly what the consequences are for your little stunt, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng."

"I can explain!" She loudly blurted out, flinching as her voice echoed around the room. Teeth bit her lip as she tried to find the right words, but nothing would form into proper sentences that didn't incriminate her further.

One of Gabriel's hands finally left his back and reached into the rear pocket of his suit pants. "As long as you're explaining things, perhaps you'd like to add a few extra details to this as well." Gabriel looked down to his phone only momentarily before shoving the front of a tabloid picture from the internet in their faces.

The title "Agreste heir at Milan opera with aspiring Asian designer" was in bold across the top with a picture of him from some past photo shoot.

Of course it was in Italian, but he knew his father was fluent enough in the language to know the title. Even if Gabriel didn't speak a second or third language, his PR team kept fairly good tabs on him and his affairs for Gabriel in the meantime. His father had a business to run; PR made sure HE didn't do anything they deemed stupid and hurt his father's business's image. Looking at all the magazines with his name in them was child's play and they did it all the time.

He didn't think a few conversations at some random opera house in Milan would warrant him gracing the cover of a magazine. He didn't think those in the rich circles he traipsed around in would be so bold as to report that night to the public, but he also didn't really know any of them. He never gave Marinette's name to anyone, only talked highly of her business and mentioned her website. He had given them all of the breadcrumbs for any good reporter to string together a perfectly good article to stoke the public fires of interest.

He couldn't fathom how it had happened, but it had happened. Even Chloe mentioned that morning at the hotel that she had heard he was at the opera house, but not much else. He didn't think anything of it because he knew things of other people in his social circle, but never paid them much mind.

"I had been meaning to discuss this bit of news with you, Adrien. No one in PR knew anything about this night, although they did recant someone of Asian decent with Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng's features." Ice blue eyes locked with hers. "How will you explain yourself out of this one, Mademoiselle PA? You seem to be quite the personal assistant."

She wanted to sink through the floor to the other side of the earth and never come back! Her mouth gaped open like a fish gasping for air, but she couldn't breathe right now. The barest of syllables hardly escaped the onslaught of Gabriel's gaze.

She was going to go to jail! That was the only thought echoing through her head right now. The stunt in February, the Milan trip with the fake job credentials, and being in the public eye with Adrien were going to be her undoing. Going to college with him meant nothing because there were a lot of students who were fairly desensitized to the world of fashion. Adrien's being there for almost three years helped normalize him to the people around him and their fellow students accepted his presence and hers. She could be with Adrien at college...but not in the rest of the world.

"I suppose this means that I'll have to tell accounting not to get those hotel receipts from you for taxes next year since they're now null and void. Sneaking your girlfriend across the country to a highly public event was risky even for you, Adrien. You've done some stupid things in the past, but this has to be the worst. Did you seriously think I wouldn't find out about this?"

His mouth opened to retort a defense that wasn't going to help them. He quickly snapped it shut when his brain kicked in, declaring any words a bad idea.

"P...please..." She mumbled, eyes tearing. She stared at Gabriel, getting both pairs of eyes. Her hands shook, breathing choppy. "Please don't send me to jail!" She burst out. Trembling hands covered her face, eyes staring through open fingers at the floor. "I didn't intend any harm! I wasn't trying to do anything to you! It had nothing to do with you, Monsieur! I swear on my life!"

"You snuck into my venue using a contact when you had no business being there and then pretended to be an entirely different person. You attended every event in Milan and had the trust of the crew. You attended to my son as his personal assistant and then spent the rest of his time in Italy using the money I paid for him to be there. You're not going to get me to believe you weren't trying to worm your way into my business by going through him."

His hand shot out when Gabriel looked to the phone, his thumb moving only three times...what he assumed was the number for the police. "Don't!" He nearly shouted, grip tighter than he wanted. He stared into annoyed, cool blue, feeling a sense of urgency to keep this from actually happening. "Don't call the police. They're not needed. At all. Don't do this!"

"You just happen to be dating a woman, who is in the business of fashion, who has had her own company for a large amount of years...who happens to be infatuated with my brand. If this is not a clear case of espionage, how do you explain the glaring details leading to it?" Gabriel's gaze flickered down. "Now let go of my arm, Adrien. There are consequences here that Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng needs to face for such rash actions. She'll be discussing this with my lawyers and the police if she wishes to clear herself from my suspicions."

Her legs were barely holding her up. She didn't even know how they were now! She was ready to fall to the floor in a moment's notice. The wind could've blown her over with as unsteady as she was right.

She was going to have a full-blown panic attack right here in front of the person she had respected so much which she had unintentionally done illegal things to. Never was that something she ever considered! She knew going to the venue before a show was actually on was risky and she had been freaking out the entire time until they left, but as Nino had said, there was a high chance Adrien would've said to hell with her had she not hurried before his regret set in.

The trip to Milan was mostly per Adrien's selfish reasons to find a way for them to celebrate his birthday without waiting for another opportunity to show up. She had made too much of a big deal out of it and almost forced him to consider the option of sneaking her onto a plane with a fake identity and hole her up in his hotel room. She had been on edge until the PR crew left the same hotel room and thought she could relax.

Being in the spotlight in a fancy dress and all dolled up never crossed her mind that it would get back to the public outside that opera house.

He was world famous and she had always known that any time his reputation was thrown in her face. They were so different in that respect; in wealth and status. Being his girlfriend to her was just his girlfriend because he had always made it seem normal. It was too strange to see him acting the model he had grown up as or speak with rich and influential people whom he had been acquainted with for years. None of that ever registered in the day-to-day activities and he actively kept it that way.

Now, doing stupid and risky things just to be his girlfriend and be by his side was going to get her caught up in a bunch of legal issues she had no money to pay for and no time to waste on.

Not with this being the last semester of her final year...just a measly four months of classes left.

The gravity of everything hit her so hard that she ignored Adrien arguing with his father to the point of going deaf. Even though they were standing right next to each other, she could only hear muffled words from the two as if hearing them underwater. The blood rushing in her ears over her own racing heartbeat was making it difficult to hear anything, which was so different from a few minutes ago.

"Is that clear? Mademoiselle?"

"Marinette?"

She snapped to, barely seeing either of them for the near terror engulfing her. Wide blue swung from Gabriel to Adrien and back. Words eluded her and thus she remained silent.

"You're scaring her!" He snapped, putting a hand on her arm. She jumped as if something electric touched her and he let go. "Stop all this talk of police and lawyers! She didn't do anything to steal your business secrets, no matter what you think! There are very normal, albeit odd reasons for everything here if you would just stop overreacting and listen!"

"I'll listen to her with the proper parties in tow so that there are witnesses to agree on her story." Gabriel amended with a slight glare. "Your foolish actions have put someone you hold dear in very real trouble. You've left it to me to clean up after your mess, which I am going to do whether you like it or not." Gabriel looked her way. "Now, as I said, you'll come with me to my company right now with our driver and give your whole story to the witnesses of my PR crew, production, security team, and the authorities so I can decide whether or not to press charges on you. Is that clear, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng?"

She couldn't breathe. She could barely think and her mouth wasn't forming the words to give any kind of answer. His eyes held promise and no room for argument. Her story and his good graces were the only thing keeping her from going to jail, but even that was a possibility at this point.

If she was arrested, she could kiss her business goodbye. She could kiss the last semester and her masters degree goodbye. Everything she had worked so hard on for so many years would disappear in a puff of smoke and she would have quite the list of charges on her public record for a long time. Multiple counts of trespassing, a very near breaking-and-entering, and now apparent copyright spying. She would have to find a job that wasn't related to everything she loved because any such business may not hire her by thinking she was trying to do something unscrupulous.

She would have to work at the bakery to even survive, but she would be too ashamed to face her parents after everything that had happened. Calling them from jail and telling them the story was the last thing she wanted to do. She would have to though because she would end up homeless with her dorm room gone after this whole debacle.

Her brain snapped. And she ran.

"Marinette!"

His arm reached out to catch air as she fled the room as if it were on fire. He didn't blame her for leaving, even though it wasn't going to help matters in the slightest.

His hand snaked out and grasped his father by the wrist before his finger could hit the call button. "Don't even think of calling the police right now!" He spat, glaring every ounce of anger that possessed him. "Let her go. I'll go in and speak to whoever you want me to talk to if it'll clear this up before you blow it out of proportion much more than you already have."

Gabriel pulled his arm back, but put the phone where it had been resting when he walked in. "Your girlfriend still isn't off the hook of this whole thing. This isn't the first person that's tried to infiltrate my company and steal everything for some other large corporation, or have you forgot the last three incidents over the past few years?"

"This is totally unrelated to anything like that!" He groused, hands harshly going through his hair. "I'll tell everyone everything. I won't leave anything out! I'll answer any question you and the company have about her. Happy?"

Gabriel's eyes narrowed a little. "We'll see. Let's get going then."


	77. Ultimatums

Her lungs burned. Her chest hurt from the attempt to pull air in and she didn't know where she was. She had her wallet, phone, shoes, and dorm keys, but nothing else aside the clothes on her back. Her shoulder hurt after the fifth...or sixth...maybe tenth person she bumped into as she tried to head deeper into the city.

She had fled out of the front gate and darted off away from the school. It was too far to return to by foot, but it was the first place anyone would go to if they needed to find her. She couldn't let that happen until she could process just what the hell had led to this strange train wreck of a situation she had placed herself in all in the name of love.

She stumbled on a crack in the pavement, going too fast and too fierce to keep an eye on everything, and caught herself with her hands and knees on her way down. She remained on her knees and hands, feeling the burning sting in both appendages that spoke of possible blood and a lot of bruising later. She panted for air, ignoring the few questions above that asked if she was okay. It felt like ten minutes had passed before she moved to sit a little more modestly and take in her injuries.

The bottom of her palms were red and her elbows hurt every time they were moved. She wasn't profusely bleeding, but blood did dot the cracks where the pavement did the worst damage. Her knees sung horribly and there was more blood dotting the ground as people walked around her.

"Are you okay? Hey! Are you going to answer me?"

The voice jolted her from herself, but only for a moment. She looked up to an unknown face, probably someone trying to be a good Samaritan...but all she saw was the cell phone in the persons' hand. A device that could put her location onto the internet where anyone could see her, judge her, find her.

She stumbled to her feet, taking off from the startled cry of the unnamed face.

Where was she supposed to go with only her card, useless cell phone, and newly painful cuts and bruises? She was too far away from any place she was familiar with and she had absolutely no idea where she was right now.

She paused long enough to take in the corner she had almost skipped past into traffic and tried to figure out how she was going to get out of this mess. Where to go so she could calm down and think rationally.

Her parents. Alya's. Nino's. When Nathaniel's name popped up into her mind, she slammed both fists against her temples to force herself to think calmly. She wasn't going to go to someone she had forsaken six months ago for something like this!

If she went to her parent's house, her mother would call Gabriel and tell her to speak to him so all misunderstandings would be cleared up. She would do so while being next to her, but Sabine wasn't one to skirt responsibilities.

If she went to Alya's, she might end up getting more than just cuts and bruises on her appendages. Alya would give her what-for for not thinking properly and putting Nino in serious danger with his own jobs.

Nino? He would most likely flip out a little himself and put in a call to one of his lawyer friends to see what consequences he'd actually face for what he suggested.

If she went to someone she knew, she'd end up at Gabriel's office and make a total fool of herself. She had to be able to think more of the finer details of that day at the venue, let alone try to figure out something to explain her going to Italy for absolutely no good reason. Family and friends weren't going to save her right now.

Wait...friends...?

A face floated through her vision, one she never considered amongst anyone else. It wasn't her first set of picks, but it could have been somewhere in the second or third. Thoughtful eyes stared hard at the concrete area.

She didn't want to get her in trouble. She didn't want to get anyone in trouble by being near them and making them an accomplice to her troubles, but she couldn't sleep on the streets. The afternoon was already starting to head to a close with the sun setting a little earlier each day. No doubt, she'd probably be mugged and raped if she stayed on the streets. Even if she wasn't, she wasn't going to take that chance.

A hand grabbed the cell phone in the purse around her shoulder and pulled up her contacts list. She stared at the name, questions and fears roaming through her head. It might be too soon to make such a strange, heavy request to shelter her on the basic level of friendship as her back-up. They hadn't spent enough time together for her to feel fully okay with doing this, but recent events made her want to believe it would be okay.

 _Are_ _you_ _there?_

It was an agonizing wait until a message popped up and startled her.

 _Good_ _afternoon,_ _Marinette._ _How_ _are_ _you?_

Her fingers paused over the keyboard. She wanted to lie and say everything was fine, but it wasn't. Not by a long shot.

 _I...I'm_ _in_ _some_ _kind_ _of_ _hot_ _water._ _I_ _need_ _your_ _help_ _if_ _you_ _don't_ _mind._

 _What's_ _going_ _on?_ _Are_ _you_ _okay?_

She could recant everything when they were together. It was a long, long story, but she had a lot of free time to kill.

She looked to the sky, wincing when she checked the time on her phone and found it still within normal working hours. Within possible, slightly extended shift hours even. She had never had a normal job, but she was aware of the concept of a nine-to-five set-up.

 _I'm_ _okay...sort_ _of._ _I'm_ _kind_ _of_ _lost_ _in_ _the_ _city_ _and_ _I_ _need_ _a_ _place_ _to_ _stay._ _It's_ _a_ _very_ _complicated_ _story_ _that_ _I'd_ _be_ _willing_ _to_ _share_ _if_ _you_ _would_ _be_ _so_ _kind_ _as_ _to_ _put_ _me_ _up_ _for_ _the_ _night._

 _Where_ _are_ _you_ _now?_ _I'm_ _at_ _work_ _for_ _another_ _hour,_ _but_ _I_ _can_ _meet_ _you_ _somewhere_ _right_ _after_ _that._ _I_ _can't_ _get_ _out_ _of_ _it_ _with_ _as_ _busy_ _as_ _we_ _are_ _here,_ _but_ _I'll_ _do_ _whatever_ _I_ _can_ _to_ _help._

She received an address to a place which would require a few bus stops and a fairly lengthy walk after that. She decided to walk the few miles, having the time and needing to get the nervous energy out. If she didn't, she might not be able to sleep at all tonight.

She kept the map up on the phone and zeroed in on her position to keep tally on how far she had to go until needing to take a bus once the sun went down completely. If she started now, she might get halfway there before the hour was up.

 _I'm_ _sorry_ _there's_ _not_ _much_ _more_ _I_ _can_ _do_ _for_ _you_ _right_ _now._ _If_ _it_ _wasn't_ _August,_ _I_ _might_ _be_ _able_ _to_ _sneak_ _away._

 _It's_ _okay._ _I'm_ _grateful_ _that_ _you're_ _okay_ _with_ _putting_ _me_ _up_ _for_ _the_ _night_ _with_ _no_ _notice._

 _You're_ _my_ _friend,_ _Marinette._ _That's_ _what_ _friends_ _do._

Tears lined her eyes and she took off running before people started asking questions as to why she was crying. She needed to release all of this, to escape it and clear her head. She got the feeling of stability and calm from those final words and it felt like a good alternative to head to her place while the woman finished up work.

01010

God he was tired. His head was foggy and his eyes felt gritty. He couldn't think, but he had to in order to explain to a group of very important people sitting around a huge, lengthy table as to actions that were done and over with.

He wanted nothing more than to lay his head on the table and close his eyes. The onslaught of their questions, rapid-fire and stinging, was unrelenting and it had been going on for almost two hours now. Someone at the table had been typing the whole thing up on a laptop and the constant clicking was driving him nuts. He wanted to burst up from his chair, slam his hands on the table, and yell at the board for making such a big deal out of a few selfish wishes for his youthful stupidity.

But he sat in that comfy leather chair and tried to keep his voice neutral for the sake of his own sanity and Marinette's safety.

She had technically trespassed into the venue which wasn't allowing visitors of any kind and he had to clear her name of that first. Not to mention Nino's. He didn't want either of their reputations dragged through the mud for a small bout of foolishness and good intentions. He saw the reasoning behind it and tried as best to convince those in attendance that, despite it being a breach of security, it wasn't actually a big deal.

Once everyone seemed to begrudgingly accept that Marinette wasn't out to steal any company secrets, as his security and production company helped with their own observational details, they switched to the much larger matter of his sneaking Marinette to a huge gathering at a fairly closed area with invites as the only way to get in.

There had really only been reporters, some business owners of other fashion companies, other wealthy individuals who had stock in the company, a few equally famous models that had worn some of his father's line, and other designers from around the world. It wasn't an open event to the public and thus Marinette had another account of trespassing from his idiocy.

When he said he'd tell his father everything, that meant divulging just where he had put Marinette for the time she was in Italy. He explained how he looked into the plane fare, called the front desk himself of his own volition to ask them to keep quiet on his "extra guest", and made sure that PR was out of the loop on Marinette's whereabouts.

He was interrupted by PR's questions about the few times they had worked with Marinette and he went into further detail to anything they asked, mentally wishing the tirade would stop.

He spoke and spoke, needing water when it bled into the third hour. He wanted to stand and stretch, take a nap and relieve his brain, get some caffeine...anything other than this.

Contacting Marinette was on that list, too.

He could only hope she was okay and could calm down without him. He knew how often she tended to overreact to things, even if this was huge. Her running away was warranted, but he hoped she didn't do anything stupid.

He couldn't get to his phone until this whole farce was over. All of the middle-aged men and women must have forgotten what it was to be twenty years younger, with their own stupid stunts lost to the winds of time. He knew that everyone did something they regretted, as his own past actions easily eluded to, and wished everyone sitting in front of him would cut him a break.

When the last question about the opera was answered and no other possible details to be given, there was a silence in the room that seemed to move around the table from one person to another. He had been honest, per their wishes, and said things that he prayed would clear their names.

"I think we should blacklist Monsieur Lahiffe from future events."

"I second that. I don't trust using his services if he thinks he can lie and bring anyone he wants to into a venue."

He mentally apologized to his friend for cutting relations to future paychecks. The vote went almost unanimously around the table to write Nino out of their services and be sure to destroy any business cards he had given them. Still, it was a small price to pay to not go to jail for aiding low-level criminal activity.

Once Nino had been cleared of suspicion and any wrong-doing, Marinette's name went around as the bigger worry. She was a designer with her own line, she had snuck into a venue and had joined an anniversary gathering. She had seen designs that, although now out to the public, she could have restructured and use as she saw fit. Anyone in the field with any good measure of talent could take fabric and stitching and a pattern, and make it into five different articles of clothing or more. While the catalog was done and over, at the time she might have found a way to steal those ideas and make them into something her own and worry about copyright infringement. Her business was too small to be in the eye of Gabriel, so she could have gotten away with it for a long time.

He was losing his patience. He wanted to reassure everyone that she posed no harm to Gabriel and actually revered his father more than most did. His father helped her more than she would have done on her own and she would never do such things to the company. The drive of the company and the vision, dedication, and hard work of getting it off the ground was what she actually used for hers, not his designs.

But, there had been those few times when someone actively snuck into this company and tried to take pictures of the wardrobes before it was out in magazines...

Everyone was just being cautious and he knew this. He had learned where to create the line in his own life with the public because some of them pushed and pushed. He had paid the price in the past and it had jaded him enough to know he needed to be careful with a lot of people.

A lot of people until Marinette came alone.

He wondered where she was, if she was okay. He mentally apologized that such a thing had happened to her on her birthday and cursed the idea he ever thought was a good one. It seemed like one reality had split into some perverse world, all stemming from him bringing her to his father's house. It didn't even felt like he was sitting here, though the feel of cold leather under his legs and the constant thrum of voices kept him from pinching himself to wake himself up.

If only...

He held his breath as the final debate wormed its way through a few extra details by security and PR helping to clear Marinette's name. Half of the table was still skeptical and wanted to speak with her face-to-face, but he insisted that his story wasn't a lie nor was any of it fabricated for her benefit.

"I'm here for her in order to do what she cannot right now." He reiterated, trying to keep irritation from his voice.

After very tense moments and the high need to fidget, her name was also cleared.

He wanted to fall back against the chair, slouch his shoulders in relief, move a muscle. When the vote went around that she had done nothing more than stupid youthful actions which were too low-level to waste money on prosecution, he felt like he could breathe again. Others begrudged such facts and resolved to let this go...although Gabriel stood from the table.

"I would like to have a word with my son in private, if you all please." He evenly announced, hands behind his back.

A shiver stole up his spine as chair after chair was pushed back. Heels and polished, expensive shoes clacked on the floor below, taking the employees from the room.

Only when the last person left and the door clicked shut did Gabriel turn from the tall window of the immense office and meet his eyes. "This woman might not go to jail over her actions, but I don't want you around her anymore."

He stared, unable to think, unable to feel. The words didn't connect with the synapses in his brain to make logical thought possible. He blinked, slowly rising to his feet as the only reaction he could give. His mouth dropped open to give a response, but words refused to leave, let alone be formed by his tongue.

He just...no way...

Gabriel had never been much of a father and even less of a stellar boss. While that was all he ever saw his father as, a rigid boss, and it was far too late to play the parent card now.

"You..." He mumbled, voice failing him. "You're...kidding me..."

"This is hardly the time or place for such folly, Adrien." Gabriel's chin rose, eyes turning slightly icy. "I don't care about her little fashion company or whatever it is. If she made you stoop to such low levels of behavior, one of your future actions is going to put this company in the papers in a very bad way. I'm grateful that nothing got out and slandered you more than blatant curiosity."

Thinking was impossible. Logic had left the room with all those high-paid executives. He could only stare without expression, losing the feeling in his arms and not even realizing he was still standing.

"At this time, I'll have your things moved from the dorms and back into the mansion to finish out the last of your school term. I won't have you jeopardizing the last three years for some woman you met less than half a year ago. After you graduate, I'll have to discuss your second degree with the board and see about perhaps bringing you directly into the company once January is done."

"No!" He blurted out, wincing at the loudness of his own voice echoing around the room. A palm slapped on the large table below him. "I'm not moving back home! I'm not going to stop seeing Marinette! You're not going to force me to do any of these things that you're talking about!"

"This is not up for discussion, Adrien. Your actions have proved that you need a little monitoring to steer you back onto a more responsible path in life. I have given you the freedom you asked for, but you have maltreated it."

"I've done nothing of the sort!" He argued, leaning over the hand on the table. "I've played by your rules for the last ten years, always worried about my face in the public and all of my actions in front of others. I'm painfully aware of every little thing that I say or do in front of strangers and that it may end up in the tabloids the next day! There is nothing I've done for myself until this last year when I decided to date Marinette. You're not going to take that away from me now just because of a few bad decisions!"

Gabriel was silent for a breath, staring across the table in the dying sun. The silence was thick and he wanted to gasp at it.

"You haven't given me a reason to trust your word in this. The last few hours and all of those details have proven how you lose your head around that woman. You'll spend the last semester showing me how you can behave as a rational human being and perhaps then I'll let you have back the freedom you seek."

He wasn't going to get anywhere. He could argue and yell until he was blue in the face. His father wasn't going to give on this, like many things he decided on without his input. He was sick of it and there was no way he was going to leave Marinette on his father's insistence.

He glowered across the table. "You think I wanted to leave the house because I just wanted freedom?" Nails dug into his palms. "I couldn't live in that house with you! That's all I'd ever known! It was stifling; it's still stifling! There hadn't been a reason to live in that place for over ten years! You're crazy if you think I'm going to go back to such a place for four months and possibly longer until your satisfied! I'm an adult and I can make my own decisions...right or wrong. That's for me to figure out and I don't need your help on that! I've not gotten it for quite some time and I certainly don't want it now!"

"And such decisions almost caused a person to go to the jail because of you for very pointless reasons. You still very much act like a child to be given such free reign."

"I'm twenty-three!" He snapped.

"You're still a child compared to anyone else that was just in this room."

"Those stuck-up executives used to be my age and do stupid shit as well. Everyone conveniently forgets what it was like to be young and in love and do dumb things for the person you love." His eyes narrowed to slits. "I'm sure it's been quite some time for you, if that ever was the case."

The quiet after his implication was so thick he could've wrapped himself in it. It slipped from him, one of the many reasons he decided to leave the house in the first place. First his mother escaped, and then he was finally allowed to after enough arrangements were made. He'd be damned if he let them get away now!

Gabriel never moved once the silence returned, didn't seem to even breathe. It was almost like he never heard a word until there was a heavy exhale that spoke of things he didn't wish to get into.

He knew he might have crossed the line by bringing up a subject that was never properly discussed and closed. It was always glossed over and ignored, covered up with everyday life activities and the sands of time. But, his words had only brought to light all of the emotions that remained behind and he couldn't get rid of them either.

"I'm not going back home." He softly repeated, voice tight. Imagining the scenario with a chef, a driver, and Natalie waking him up returning all over again almost made his skin crawl. "There is no way you can actually force me to change residences. It'd look bad in the papers if someone is carrying me out of there, wouldn't it?"

Gabriel looked bored with the sarcasm, but scowled at the words.

This was pointless. The petty squabbles weren't going to get him anywhere and his father wasn't going see his way. If they weren't going to come to an agreement, it was best that he just leave. He needed to know that Marinette was okay and let her know she wasn't in such trouble anymore.

He got as far as turning from the table when his father's voice stopped him. "We're not done here. I don't want you to see that woman anymore."

"She has a name!" He snapped, whirling back around. "And she's done more for me in the paltry span of six months than anyone in the family has over the course of my entire lifetime! You're crazy to think I'd leave her just because of a few thoughtless actions which were never of malicious intent!" His fists shook as adrenaline and anger overtook him. "I'd rather leave the Agreste name to anyone else than leave her! It's done nothing but suffocate me and make me live a life I never wanted in the first place!"

He whirled around and stormed maybe half a dozen steps for the door before he stopped. It wasn't a well-thought out idea, but it popped out of his mouth before he could think of the consequences.

"You can keep the masters actually. I don't need it nor do I want it. I never wanted to study at ISC in the first place. Keep the last four months and let me have my freedom from you." His feet continued to take him out of the room.

"Adrien. Stop."

His eyes remained on the door, jaw tight.

"Adrien! Adrien Agreste! Stay here!"

He could hear the footsteps of his father cross the table, but they were too far to catch him. He threw the door open and slammed it closed, taking off in a run for the exit doors many floors below.


	78. Holing up for the night

"Thanks for putting me up tonight."

Clink.

She took the ceramic cup off the table and sipped the warm milk, the honey in it sweetening it just enough for her to want to chug the tasty beverage.

"Like I said, you're my friend. It's no trouble for me to try and do what I can to help you." There was a sigh as the woman sat down across from her at the small table. "Although...I don't know just how much help I can be in a time like this..."

She looked to the milk with dejected eyes. After she finally arrived and quietly stepped in to the small apartment, it had been a very long hour of recanting the day, along with the trip to Italy and sneaking into the venue back in February. All for very personal, yet selfish reasons.

She had no excuse for any of her actions aside basic emotional reasons. She didn't want to lose Adrien and had entered into a private business's venue when she knew she shouldn't have. Then there was the trip where she faked her job just so she could give him his present on the actual day of his birthday instead of waiting one measly week or two.

There was something of a disbelief mixed with sympathy in the eyes staring at her the entire time she spoke. She couldn't meet them for the most part and thus stared at the wood floor underneath the chair she took up residence in for that first hour.

She knew it would be too much to hope for someone to fully be on her side about this. She knew Alya would probably go ballistic for involving Nino like she had, and Nino would have probably blow a few brain cells, too. Rightly so though... She had hampered his future with Gabriel and felt bad for ever agreeing to his suggestion. She should have refused him harsher, but at the time it sounded like the only way for her to keep Adrien in her life. Had she been more clear-headed at the time, perhaps none of this would have come about.

Probably because she would have lost Adrien in the process...maybe...

"I'm sorry for involving you..." She murmured, leaning a tired head in her hands. She heaved a sigh, wanting to sleep for a week, go back and bury herself in orders, go to another country and just forget this ever happened...anything. "I've gotten too many people mixed up in this as it is. I was an idiot every single time and I still haven't learned my lesson." She threaded her fingers together, resting her chin on them. "If I was a smarter person, I would have done as Monsieur Agreste ordered and cleared my name." Palms abruptly pressed against her eyes before she started crying again. "What am I supposed to do?"

There was another quiet sigh across the two-seater table. The apartment was small, as was the tiny, round table in the barest of dining rooms. It was nothing for her benefactor to reach across the table separating them and pat her head.

"The answer is obvious, even though the risks are high... I know you already know what to do. It sounds like you're more scared than anything."

She nodded, unable to speak without breaking down. Any time she thought of where she should be other than here, she shivered from the bout of fear that went through her. She couldn't bring herself to get out of the metal chair and leave this place.

"Do you think that going to the company tomorrow would make me look any worse than running away did?"

"It's understandable what you did. I can't say I'd do the same, but I can at least see why you did it." Slim fingers took her hand and gave an encouraging squeeze. "I'm not going to be much help in consoling you because the right thing to do is to go speak with Monsieur Agreste. I know how he is though. Chloe and I have never liked him since the first time we met him."

She sighed and looked at Sabrina's sympathetic face. She gave her friend's hand a squeeze before letting go. "I all but revered the man. I think the shock of his pedestal breaking away and falling to pieces is also part of my problem." She propped her chin up with her fists, pouting Sabrina's way. Blue strayed to the dark window next to them, Paris's streetlights doing a good job of illuminating the mini balcony.

"I know you did. I think everyone that heard you talk fashion knew of your respect for Gabriel."

"I knew he wasn't the...best person to work with, but I didn't think he'd jump so overboard as to call the police for what I did."

Sabrina sighed again and looked to her own cup. Her lips pursed as she remembered the few times she had ever strayed close enough to Adrien's father, with him present, and how uncomfortable she had been. "I suppose...as a business owner of the same type of job...if something happened to you where you thought someone was trying to steal your ideas, would you flip out, too? Especially considering you have to work harder because you're not at the level of Gabriel..."

A hand scratched her hair as she thought. She didn't have anything major that companies wanted and she could only theorize the legal actions that she'd have to take to prove that she hadn't copyrighted her own work. She had the sketchbooks to prove her originality, but it would be a pain until that was found out and everything was deleted to her satisfaction. She didn't have the time nor money to deal with such a headache.

Perhaps, in his own strange way, Monsieur Agreste was trying to keep this out of the courts by allowing her to explain herself to whoever he had in mind. The authorities were probably only there just in case and possibly more as extra witnesses to clean up any misunderstandings. She had run away, thinking she was only going to go to jail with no reprieve to the situation.

"Augh...I've made a huge mess out of this..." She moaned, hands covering her face.

Sabrina smiled, hands cradling the hot cup. "Now the question is, how do you plan on fixing it?"

She looked to her friend, finding inquisitive, yet supportive eyes meeting hers. She went for the milk, drinking a bunch of it before it went entirely cold in the cooling nights. August was over tomorrow and September was right around the corner. Classes started in a mere few weeks and she had to get this over with by then so she could finish out the final term. She was almost done and ready to graduate; something like this couldn't stop her!

"The obvious thing is to talk to Monsieur Agreste as soon as possible tomorrow." She mumbled, fingering her lower lip in thought. "I'll have to look up the business hours; it's too late to do so now." She reached for her phone, finding it almost eight and sighed. "Even if I could waltz back to those mansion gates and ask to see him, I'd be an idiot to do so at this hour. I bet he had big and important things to do." She winced. "Like calling the authorities about my whereabouts..."

Sabrina chuckled a little and shook her head. "The man is stoic, but not outright cruel." The mug made its way to her lips before she paused. "Besides...involving the authorities might end up in the papers and I don't think he wants to do that for something like this." Her eyes twinkled a little as she took a drink. "Think of it, the headlines might read 'Owner of Gabriel arrests young woman for sneaking into venue to speak with son'. While romantic, it'd put him in a bad position socially."

She idly nodded and stood, heading out of the small dining room and living room area for the kitchen. She grabbed the soap and cleaned the empty cup before putting it in the drying rack and heading back to her chair. She stared around the room, slightly admiring a place she had never seen and was sad she was here for all the wrong reasons.

"Thank you for putting up with me tonight." She murmured, finding Sabrina's eyes. The interior lights sent a glare over her glasses and made part of her vision hard to see. "I'm sorry that I'm here under such bad circumstances."

Sabrina stood and stopped in front of her. A hand landed on her shoulder, giving a little pat. "Think nothing of it. I'm only apologetic that I can't do more than shelter you for the night." Her lips tilted. "The working world and all that. You know how it is... I'll have to get out of here around seven, but you're certainly welcome to stay for longer if you need to."

She looked to the curtain enclosing the small bedroom and single bed. She went for the couch and plopped down, looking up. "I'm sleeping here. I refuse to take your bed."

Sabrina smiled and waved Marinette to stand. "It's a pull-out bed. Here...there are already sheets set up."

She stood and pushed the dining table and chairs out of the way so Sabrina could get around her for the kitchen should the need arise. The bathroom was right next to it and she didn't want to hamper a midnight necessity.

"I'll go get you a spare pair of pajamas and blanket."

"I can sleep in this." She quickly denied, standing off the bed again.

Sabrina paused at the curtain and smirked. "Don't worry. They're Ladybug spots, so I know they'll be comfy...even if they may not fit you like your own clothes do."

She stared for a second before giving a bashful nod and smiled. Sabrina returned with everything a moment later and disappeared back into the room, stating she was also going to change to give them both some privacy.

She didn't remember making a mirror image of the red-and-black spots that she also had at home, but these seemed to have some wear and she was happy that Sabrina liked them enough to tatter some of the threads. "You seem to be in need of a new pair of pajamas." She kidded, buttoning up the shirt.

"That's my favorite pair." Sabrina happily answered behind the curtain. The smile could easily be heard in her voice. "They're my go-to whenever they're clean."

She rolled the hem of the pants up, since Sabrina was a few centimeters taller than she was. As was most of the populace really. She'd have to figure out how to sleep comfortably in them tonight, but that was something to worry about later. She rolled up the sleeves a few times and spread her arms out for inspection when the curtain was pulled open. "How do I look?" She kidded with a grin.

Sabrina giggled, starting and stopping every time she laid eyes on Marinette. Fingers pulled the thin rims off her nose and wiped her eyes, the look so comical that it brought tears to her eyes. "I think...ha ha...your spots need a little redoing...ha ha!"

She plopped down on the bed, finding the one piece nightgown flattering on Sabrina. Her eyes squinted as she took in the stitching, finding it well done. "Did I make that, too?"

Sabrina shook her head and headed around the pull-out. "Chloe bought this for me sometime last year. She insisted I wear it instead of the spots you have on."

She scowled and looked to the pajamas. "What's wrong with the spots I made?" She retorted.

Sabrina stuck her head past the narrow archway with a smile. "She thought silk flattered me better. I have to admit, I like the feel of it when I'm trying to fall asleep."

She scoffed and crossed her arms, feeling the warmth of the Ladybug fabric. "Nothing wrong with plain cotton..." She quietly groused.

She idly looked around the room, ears perked to a running sink, as she wondered how she was supposed to get any sleep tonight. She had no idea why she was here, but here she was. It was an odd turn of events, but she was happy she was here. Sabrina was about as out of the loop in knowing what was going on, but she was still privy to her relationship with Adrien enough to see different angles of the whole thing. Sabrina never yelled, but gave honest advice to what was going on.

Yes...she was glad she ended up here.

"I need to head to bed now." Sabrina announced, patting her face a little with a towel. "Will you be okay tonight?"

She scooted back and promptly got under the blankets. "I can use the sleep, too. I always stay up too late and I should stop that."

Sabrina nodded and stopped once half of her was past the curtain. "Well then, goodnight Marinette. I hope you can sleep some tonight and be ready for tomorrow. If I'm gone by the time you wake, send me a text as to how it went, okay?"

"Roger." She announced, fluffing the borrowed pillow.

The lights were all out mere moments later, casting the room into dark, save for the lights below. She stared at the shadows on the ceiling for unknown moments before throwing the blankets off and situating her feet on the cold wood floor.

A minute later, she was back in bed with her cell phone in hand.

She needed to contact Adrien and let him know she was okay. She had ignored everything on it for fear that talking to anyone would lead her to hysterics. Sabrina had done well to calm her down; she didn't know what would have happened had she gone to Alya.

 _Adrien, I'm sorry that I ran away. I hope you're doing okay. I'm fine; I'm staying with Sabrina right now. I'll contact your father in the morning and discuss everything with him. I apologize for being an idiot today. I would have liked to rewind time so I could enjoy your present more, but I suppose there's nothing to be done about it now. It seems like both of our birthdays are a bust this year, huh?_

She sent the message and waited for ten minutes for an answer. She kept tabs with the clock on her phone, but never got a response back.

Her brow furrowed. That was odd...she figured he'd jump at the chance to know she was okay and to hear of her whereabouts... He took his phone with him when they went to his father's house, so why wasn't he answering? She didn't think it'd be a low battery; her's was still at half power even. They hadn't used them much today because they were in each other's presence.

When twenty whole minutes went by without a response, she was kind of worried. It wasn't like him to not answer a text, especially after something of this magnitude. Something must have happened to his phone. "What" was the only answer that was out of her grasp.

She sighed and rolled to put the phone on the extra space on the pull-out. She stared at the light on the screen until it went out five minutes later and bit her lip. There was nothing she could do by fearing something had happened when he didn't answer. The extra texts she sent didn't look to have been read. She would have to wait until tomorrow to try getting a hold of him and make sure to call him this time.

Right after she paid a visit to Gabriel's main office building.

 _Sabrina's apartment inspiration: lodgis com/en/paris,long-term-rentals/apartment/LPA6892-boulevard-de-grenelle-apartment-paris-15 mod html_


	79. A safe place

He was pissed...but rightly so. He had taken a lot, all but forced to do a lot. His sake had never been kept in mind for far too many years that he figured it was just routine to not consider his welfare in anything that was set before him. In the beginning, he had fought; tried to express his opinion and distaste. After only a few months of doing so, not even tallying a year's worth, he gave up and went with the flow.

At least until Marinette was brought into the realm of ideas he didn't want to agree with.

There was no way he would acquiesce to this. Ever. His father had already forced him to do so much and he had lost out on so much, but he was putting his foot down over this. Marinette gave him things he never got, could never get, from any other woman he had dated; from his father; from his mother. The companionship, the laughter, cherished moments, the hugs and kisses, the conversation, the pure feelings of love. He had known her before he had met her; had struggled with her on so many things. Such a good, cemented foundation was the first of any relationship he had with another woman that didn't immediately lead to a one-night stand with no phone calls the next day.

So no...he wasn't about to let her go just because his father said so.

The man had no idea who Marinette was; had never really talked to her. He had seen her twice and both of those times had nothing to with him. If he would only have one good chat with her, those assumed lesser qualities would vanish and her character would be redeemed.

And while it was an honorable idea, he was done dealing with someone who wouldn't listen to reason.

Gabriel was never a man to consider the ideas of others. It had always been his rules in that mausoleum of a mansion of his. One of the primary reasons why he and his mother had left it. There was no love, no warmth Gabriel had to give either of them. What was the point in sticking around someone who would only burn you the closer you tried to get?

He had been done for a long time, but never had anything to fight for to help him stand his ground. He didn't know how he was going to be a knight to his lady, but he refused to roll over on this. Storming out as he had, while enough to show his father that he was genuinely wrong, wasn't enough to make him see. He had to find a way, a valid foothold, a proper argument.

Until then, disappearing sounded like a good idea.

While the latest catalog might be off his shoulders, there were always photo shoots, interviews, and tailoring for the next show to do. Not showing up to those would be enough for his father to sit up and take notice...and perhaps show that he meant business.

Until something like that occurred, he had to leave.

Being a ghost in the company had to happen, but there lie the difficulty. How the hell was he supposed to vanish after having his face showcased to the world for almost two decades?

Staying at his dorm was out. It would be easy for anyone to track him down and try to drag him back if he thought he could be discreet in school. He didn't intend on going down without a fight and going there would make it too easy. His professors would most likely be informed to keep an eye out for him anyway.

He had turned his phone off blocks ago. That was the first thing everyone would turn to and he had no desire to spend hours listening to them plead, order, or discuss his return. The whole thing would just be a waste of time with him probably hanging up on the messenger, so he cut the path off to save the future headache. It didn't help that he couldn't look anything up, but it did give his head one less thing to think of.

By the time he realized where he was going, he was already striding past a door being held open by the bellman.

"Is Mademoiselle Bourgeois in today?"

"I apologize sir, but Mademoiselle is out for two more days. She'll return that morning though."

Shit. He kind of wanted someone he knew who would back him to actually be here right now.

"Would you like to come back then, Monsieur? Would you like to leave me a message to pass along in the meantime?"

His hand snacked into his back pocket for his wallet and all but slapped his personal credit card on the counter. "I'll take a room actually. Basic suite, nothing too major."

There was some typing behind the desk, but only a slight cringe met his request. "My apologies, Monsieur. We don't have anything basic to offer today. I assume you plan on staying until Mademoiselle returns...?"

This wasn't turning any prettier the longer he kept standing here. "I do." A hand went through his hair in agitation. "This hotel is huge...how can there not be simple rooms available? I don't want anything fancy..."

The clerk quickly looked to the computer again, as if a second scan would show something she had missed. She was slow to look up, almost wincing when she did. "My apologies, Monsieur..."

Fingers pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. At this rate he was going to have to figure out how to bunk with Nino in a bed he knew Alya had slept in. That thought aside, Nino's place was big enough for Nino, not a roommate.

He had put his friend out enough by involving him in this mess back in the beginning. Now that it was coming back to bit him in the ass, he wanted to keep Nino out of it as much as possible. He already had to keep Nino from going to jail for aiding in trespassing and indirectly got his name scratched off next year's list of catwalk musical scores. He still had to tell Nino this and somehow convince him that it was all okay somehow, too.

Alya? If she found out what happened at the mansion, she might just verbally swing first and ask questions later. At him...at his father...who knew? If he could avoid that whole mess as well, he'd prefer it. He had no idea how the hell he or Marinette was going to tell them this happened.

"What's going on here? How come you're making our honored guest so upset? Oh, Adrien, my boy. So good to see you. I'm sorry, but Chloe is out for a bit. I sent her on an errand for a new fall set of recipes for the restaurant. How have you been?"

He couldn't remember the last time he had seen or chatted with the previous mayor of Paris. Some of the anxiety lessened as he stood near a man he saw as an uncle he had never had. A smile graced his face for the first time in hours. "Monsieur Bourgeois, it's good to see you again."

"Likewise. What brings you here at this evening hour? Is something wrong?"

While this man was kind enough, discussing anything with him was going to get his father called. Bourgeois and Agreste went back years and while the families didn't spend time together, he had a feeling his father's cell phone number was still in Monsieur Bourgeois's contacts somewhere.

He pasted on a smile that he usually reserved for public modeling roles and shrugged. "I seem to have come too late to find Chloe and it seems your hotel is booked, too. I was hoping to snag a simple room, but I should have known that your establishment was too popular for such a poorly timed coincidence."

A hand clapped on his shoulder. "Nonsense, my boy! We always have rooms to spare, especially for you." Monsieur Bourgeois looked around him to the front desk clerk. "I'll take care of our esteemed guest. Don't bother entering his info into the computer. The family is a good friend of ours."

His lips twitched, but he tried to play up his proper upbringing. "No, I can't take advantage of you, Monsieur. At least let me pay for the room."

"You haven't been able to in years, Adrien, so let's not break tradition now. Come, I'll have someone bring up your things and show you where you'll be."

He winced a little. "Actually, I don't have anything with me. I mainly just need a room to stay in."

"Something to easily work around, dear boy. Just change into one of our robes and I'll have your clothing picked up for dry-cleaning."

He made only a little more fuss as they got into the elevator, trying to hide his smile that too many questions weren't being asked. Chloe could because she was in his realm, but her father had his own world to deal with. He didn't understand the full scope of being a youth who had always lived in the spotlight because of his parents. Monsieur Bourgeois had worked to become mayor and remained that way by his own merit for years; he chose to be here. Chloe and he were the ones who had a silver spoon handed to them the second they came out of the womb.

The room was bigger than he was expecting, but it felt cramped with Chloe's father and the attendant in there with him. He all but hurried them out for privacy and silence, locating the robe and changing into it as swiftly as possible. The employee promised to have his clothes laundered within the hour, even after its usual business hours, and left.

When silence descended and the gravity of everything came back, he slumped against the door with a heavy sigh. Falling to the floor and resting in a heap sounded like a good idea, too. He had no desire to stand and the wall was taking more of his weight than his legs were right now.

What did he do from here? Hide out for two days while Chloe came back and then figure out a plan? Not that she was the best candidate for something like that. He just went with an idea that sounded good to his irrational and muddled head, and his feet went by the directions his brain gave them. Now he was here and had no clue on where or how to proceed. He didn't want to leave, but he was already getting bored and the quiet was making him anxious.

His eyes strayed to his cell phone. He should let Marinette know what had happened since she fled so she didn't worry, but he didn't want to turn it on. He didn't have a charger and if he was going to follow through with this, he had to leave it off. Leaving it on was like leaving the hotel room wide open and letting anyone in whenever they wanted. If he turned the phone on now, he had a feeling he'd find a few phone calls in his logs.

Maybe just one day. All he wanted right now was to sleep and forget that there was a world out there. Just a mini vacation; he didn't remember the last time he had ever had one...if ever. Right now, he was too hot-headed and trying to think had already ended him up at Chloe's hotel for no good reason. He didn't want to just up and leave it because he had already started this; what was he going to accomplish by trying to sneak out of his new room in the middle of the night?

Not to mention he was still in his robe and his clothes weren't coming back for a bit. While he wanted to create a headache for his father, wandering the streets practically naked wasn't it.

This was already for more complicated than it ever needed to be! All he wanted to do was date Marinette and be happy. He thought he finally found happiness after years of looking for it, and his father was trying to take it away from him again!

He stood and meandered around the room, ending up outside on the balcony. He leaned over it, using the concrete structure to keep him steadier than he felt. He looked to the noise of night traffic floors below, a cool breeze ruffling his hair from the floor he was up in.

This whole thing felt too surreal to grasp. It was like some screwed up dream he was having and he didn't know how to wake from. Or, maybe the dream had been the joy with Marinette up until now and the alarm clock that was his father was cruelly waking him up from it to remind him that there were responsibilities he was running from which he needed to accept. What those were, he had no clue.

Lately, he had been able to consider himself a normal college guy, going to school with his girlfriend. She had helped him with that image...despite how she reacted when she first saw him, her second opinion of him had been that of a stalker, and then she ran because she feared what he had been doing. On the third try, she fled because of his feelings for her and the fourth main encounter was her acceptance.

He snorted as some old memories of the last year went through his head. She hadn't faked herself in any of them, when so many put on a front in front of him. She changed herself only because it meant losing him, but the only thing she really did was manage her time better. Her personality never really altered itself. She had always been real from the get-go; he was the one who put up a wall between them and pushed her away.

She was worth fighting for...except he didn't know how to yet. Maybe a night or two here would clear his head and he could think clearer. Perhaps, if he could divulge all of this to Chloe, she could help him calm down and he could see the situation as it needed to be.

He turned and leaned against the railing, staring into the room. He found the bed and sighed, legs taking him there. He fell over the expensive blankets, head sinking into the pillow with a grateful sigh.

Maybe a day or two. Just enough to recharge and revitalize. He needed it after having dealt with the onslaught that was Gabriel Agreste. Maybe tomorrow he could answer the theoretical question of: what the hell was he going to do now?!


	80. Rushing off to battle

"Fuck him."

He sighed and shook his head. "That's not exactly something I can use, y'know..."

"Fuck that ass! He's been dictating your life since you learned how to piss in a toilet! Screw him and his overbearing ways!"

He snorted. While not good for thoughtful conversation, Chloe was always good for cheering him up if he needed someone on his side.

"And how, pray tell, do you suggest I go about doing that?"

"I don't know."

He laughed, head falling into his hands. The whole situation was ludicrous and laughing at it all was really the only productive thing he could do at the moment. He was old enough to make his own decisions and hopefully have an adult conversation with his father, but that hadn't happened in over ten years.

If he couldn't be logical about this, what the hell was left?

"Who cares what that stuffy pants-suit thinks?" Chloe reiterated, stuffing a strawberry in her mouth. "It's about time you took life by the horns! I've been telling you to do that for over five years now; this is the best opportunity. Strike while the iron is hot!" Chloe's fist clenched.

This was why he came here before considering anyone else as seriously. No one knew him better than Chloe. Not even Marinette, whom he loved so much, had such extensive knowledge of the troubles he had to bear. Not even Sabrina, whom he had been friends with much longer than Marinette and was much more rational than Chloe, could give as meaningful insight as Chloe.

He sat cross-legged in the expensive chair, propping his head up in slight amusement as he watched her snack on the breakfast fruit tray she had brought up. "Again, I shall as the same question: just what am I supposed to do?"

"You're young, rich, and handsome. The answer is anything you damn well please."

He tsked. "Which doesn't answer the question in the slightest." He retorted with a raised brow.

Chloe shrugged. "Take the fall semester and go somewhere with me. We haven't done something like that by ourselves in years. We can visit south Africa for the winter. Or we can go to America and check up the upcoming holiday meals we could bring back. Maybe a stop in China for the New Years parties..."

"Why do all of your ideas involve me leaving the country?" He asked with a sardonic grin.

Chloe smirked. "Because I've been all around France already. Not much left to do."

"And what about my last semester of grad school?"

"What about it?"

"I prefer not to have to take the last semester again if I don't have to."

"So test out of the whole damn thing or something." Chloe waved a hand idly. "It's not like you don't have the experience and knowledge to do so whenever you want."

He shook his head and grabbed a banana off the plate. He was almost done before he spoke again. "Y'know...it feels weird to have the chance to choose whatever I want to do. Even though the last semester isn't for a few weeks and I'm technically free right now, there's always something model-related that I have to do." The peel plopped on the plate as green eyes idly stared across Chloe's suite. "I don't know what to do with myself."

"Holy hell!" Chloe rolled her eyes, hands thrown up over her head. "This isn't rocket science! Just pick the first thing that comes to mind!"

The problem was, there were dozens of things that came to mind all at once.

Being young and rich had its advantages. He had already learned a lot and could further his studies in anything he wished if he felt like it. If he cared, he could get lost in any country he wanted. He could quit school, get a different job, find a new hobby...

'New job?'

Something so inane, utterly buried in his memories, came back. It had been a passing thought at the time and he didn't even know if it would ever happen. They had never discussed it and although she had mentioned making him his own line, he had yet to see anything.

 _He_ _sat_ _back_ _and_ _sipped_ _his_ _wine,_ _enjoying_ _just_ _watching_ _how_ _animated_ _she_ _became_ _as_ _she_ _tried_ _to_ _describe_ _some_ _of_ _the_ _items_ _she_ _hadn't_ _pulled_ _from_ _her_ _head_ _yet._ _He_ _couldn't_ _wait_ _to_ _see_ _them_ _on_ _her_ _website._ _He_ _wondered_ _who_ _she'd_ _contact_ _as_ _models,_ _wondering_ _if_ _he_ _should_ _offer_ _his_ _services...wondering_ _if_ _she'd_ _accept_ _it_ _or_ _not._

"There is kinda...one thing..."

"Oh?"

"I had a thought months ago about modeling for Marinette and her clothing line..."

Chloe stared at him with a raised brow for longer than she needed to. As if there was supposed to be a punchline to a crappy joke she was only listening to because they were good friends. "Seriously? That's it?"

He shrugged and went for the last strawberry. "If I had visions of grandeur, I suppose they would include her somehow. She was talking about making me my very own clothing line and has sketches for it. I guess if this tornado never touched down, it would've happened over break."

Chloe's hand idly went for the plate and looked over at finding only air. She gave the empty porcelain a look of slight disdain before going for her phone nearby on the table. "We need a round of coffee drinks and some cheeses next if I'm going to listen to anymore." She reported, thumbs and eyes darting around her phone.

He waited while she finished, taking a moment to stretch, until she put the phone in her lap.

"Okay, so...while I think you ought to do something more fun with your newly obtained freedom..." Her face split into a grin. "Modeling a brand not your father's IS the fastest way to make his head spin right off his shoulders. That'd make front pages in a handful of magazines in no time if you could get enough pub for it." Chloe looked smug about something and was quiet for a second, lightly tapping a corner of her phone on the table. "And there just happens to be someone you know who can get you that pub. Me."

He grinned at the overly pleased look on her face, feeling some of her mood make its across the table to him. The idea would blow up and shake Gabriel to a point of a few executives having a heart attack. He had been the poster child for the brand for so long, ninety percent of his closet was Gabriel. If he showed his face in Marinette's line, the media was going to start buzzing and PR wouldn't be able to quell the rumors before they spread around Europe. It might genuinely hurt the company a little...

"So...does the lucky girl know about the blessings we're about to bestow on her little seed of a company?" Chloe snorted humorously. "Maybe she'll finally have to hire an assistant after this debacle."

He looked to the direction of the door and the phone that was in his room a floor away. He didn't take it with when he came down here because it was still off. He hadn't gotten a charger for it during day one at the hotel and knew the battery wasn't at full power as it was. Chloe came back late that night instead of the next morning once she knew he was at the hotel, thanks to her father mentioning his presence, so he hadn't turned it on to contact her.

He had to admit, the whole time it was off, he kind of liked the disconnect and went to tv to make up for the lack of internet in the meantime. He spent hours surfing the hundreds of channels the hotel had to offer, watching a few movies and actually enjoying the mind unplug for a few hours.

"Uh..." He hedged, face heating a little. Chloe's smile instantly dropped. "Not...exactly..."

"Keep going..." She ordered, voice icing over. "You HAVE talked about this with her...haven't you? This is no small potatoes!"

A world famous model offering to be part of a different brand when he was pretty much locked in to where he was now was big. His fans might order things off of Marinette's line just to support him, but her style was cute and interesting anyway and it would spread. She might end up too swamped to spend time with him like they had been...to even finish the last semester!

"Hmm...maybe I should keep quiet on this..." He mumbled to himself.

"What the hell?! How could you think about something like this without considering her first?!" Chloe smacked her phone on the table without care of breaking it. Her free hand pointed for the door. "If you don't have it on you, go get it right now and call her up!"

"I...don't know how the battery is right now..." He mumbled, face burning at the shocked look on Chloe's face. "I've had it off since that night and haven't turned it on. I don't know what the status of it is..."

He could have sprouted a second head the way she was looking at him. "That means you haven't texted her since you got here?! Since she left the mansion?!" His head shook. "What the fuck! She's probably worried sick right now! What if she's been looking for you?!" She grabbed the gold-plated case and shoved it in his face. "Call her. Now."

He meekly stared at the expensive device. "I...don't know her number off the top of my head..."

A hand slapped her forehead. "You're not supposed to be this dumb!" She moaned.

"Hey! I bet you don't have half of the phone numbers in that thing memorized!" He defended, pushing the rectangle away.

She quickly rattled off her father's personal line and glared. "I might do random stuff, but I always have daddy's number in case I need him." She heaved a sigh and stared at the ceiling. "Odds of heading to the dorm and finding her...?"

"Hmm...well...I'm still hoping to avoid the place if I can."

"For fuck's sake..." Chloe's head fell into her hands. "Why are you making me think up this shit? I don't have her number and I've been out of the country when you decided on making your little scandal! What are we supposed to do now?!"

He was silent for a moment before snapping his fingers. "Sabrina! They exchanged numbers!" He looked around the room for a clock. "What time is it?"

Chloe unlocked the phone with pursed lips. "At this hour of the morning, she'll be at work. I can send her a text and tell her to call me on her lunch."

Whatever Chloe sent must have made enough of an impact to get Sabrina to respond quickly because less than ten minutes later, she was calling them on speaker.

"She went to Gabriel to speak with him herself. Went early that next morning after the incident took place." Sabrina finalized after reporting what she knew.

"What?!" He sat straight up as if someone poked him from behind with a fork. "She doesn't need to do that; I took care of everything!"

"Except you've been too awol to let her know." Chloe retorted. She stared at the phone in her hand; free fingers drumming on the table thoughtfully. "Have you seen her since?"

"I told her to let me know what the outcome was. All she sent me back was a text of 'I'm fine', but nothing else."

"Sounds like a lie to not involve you anymore in this." He pondered, fingering his chin.

"Do you know where she is now?" Chloe asked.

"When she was at my place, she talked a little of the work she had to do. She could be back there now if she's anywhere. She said school hadn't started yet, so what else would she be doing?"

If he was Spider-man, his spidey sense would be tingling right now. If she went to Gabriel to speak with his father, he doubted she would be okay enough to just go back to work like nothing happened. Not after she fled. Not while she knew she could have lawfully gone to jail...

"Can you text her and find out where she is?" He asked, face somber. "Find out if she's going to be wherever she's at for a while and send me the address." He hopped from the chair and headed for a larger part of the suite.

Chloe ended the call moments later, eyes following him as he paced the room. "Ending your solitude already?" She mused, propping her head up with her arm and the table. "Not the way I was picturing you breaking out into the world."

"I can't shake the feeling that she's hiding something." He mumbled, feeling anxious. "But...she usually does, so nothing new there. She probably kept it short as to keep Sabrina out of this. I bet she's a mess right now. Anyone usually is after dealing with father. Especially something involving legal action. Shit...I bet she's been freaking out for hours!"

"While it's oh-so-adorable to watch you dishevel the hell out of your hair, you're making me dizzy. Come sit down."

"I can't. What if she's been trying to get a hold of me since she got to Sabrina's?" He abruptly stopped and scrubbed his face with both hands. "Damn it...I didn't think this plan through..."

Chloe snorted. "Well that's a no duh." She stood and adjusted her slacks. "Heading out now then? Want to use my driver?"

He nodded and hurried to the door, Chloe following him down the hallway for the elevator. She was slower than his longer stride and he had to hold the elevator open for her so it didn't close in her face.

Chloe leaned against the other wall, mimicking his pose, but not fidgeting with her clothing as he was. At length, she sighed at the tension. "So...going for the knight in shining armor routine? I doubt she's a damsel in distress like you're thinking." She smirked. "You don't have the memories like I do. That girl is perfectly capable of handling adversity herself. She doesn't need you to go and sweep her off her feet, you know... If anything, she probably gave Gabriel hell for what he said."

"Like any of your suggestions are going to be better?" He mumbled, finger tapping against an arm as the doors opened.

"Pfftt. I never claimed that. I just don't think your way is going to fix this."

He ignored anything else she had to say and went right for his phone. He turned it on and waited with baited breath while it booted up. Once it did, his notifications found six missed calls from Natalie, a few from someone at Gabriel, and two texts from Marinette.

He opened up both, feeling his veins run cold on the second note.

 _Adrien,_ _I'm_ _sorry_ _that_ _I_ _ran_ _away._ _I_ _hope_ _you're_ _doing_ _okay._ _I'm_ _fine;_ _I'm_ _staying_ _with_ _Sabrina_ _right_ _now._ _I'll_ _contact_ _your_ _father_ _in_ _the_ _morning_ _and_ _discuss_ _everything_ _with_ _him._ _I_ _apologize_ _for_ _being_ _an_ _idiot_ _today._ _I_ _would_ _have_ _liked_ _to_ _rewind_ _time_ _so_ _I_ _could_ _enjoy_ _your_ _present_ _more,_ _but_ _I_ _suppose_ _there's_ _nothing_ _to_ _be_ _done_ _about_ _it_ _now._ _It_ _seems_ _like_ _both_ _of_ _our_ _birthdays_ _are_ _a_ _bust_ _this_ _year,_ _huh?_

0

 _I met your father this morning. I know what happened. We need to talk as soon as you get this. It's important. Come to our usual spot. I'll try to be there as much as I can before they close for the day._

His teeth were hurting and it was only then that he realized he had been clenching his jaw to the point of pain. He couldn't feel his hands, but he could see that he was white-knuckling the phone.

"Shit... That doesn't sound good. I wonder what they talked about?"

" _I_ _don't_ _want_ _you_ _around_ _her_ _anymore. If she has made you stoop to such low levels of behavior, one of your future actions is going to put this company in the papers in a very bad way. I'm grateful that nothing got out and slandered you more than blatant curiosity."_

He wanted to spit fire. How dare his father say that to Marinette's face?! He wanted to punch the man, but all he could do right now to relieve his anger was throw a cell phone that he needed more than money right now.

"What 'usual spot' is she talking about?" Chloe mumbled behind his shoulder.

There's no way she could be there all day without breaking her wallet or annoying the staff. If she planned on being there all day waiting for him, it must be serious.

He didn't want to assume anything. He wanted to believe...believe in her and them...but why did his chest hurt this much?

"Call your driver and have him get ready." He darkly responded, turning the screen off and going for his wallet. "Tell him to be out front immediately and to take me where I tell him."


	81. Back at the ranch

There had been no response from Adrien the next morning. She didn't know what had happened after she ran out, but she had hoped there would have been missed calls or a text from him at least. The morning she woke up to Sabrina getting ready and that was it.

She got ready with the woman, hugging her as the two parted outside the front entrance to the building. She watched Sabrina wave as she walked away, finally turning her back to keep an eye on the people in front of her. She kept to the side of the building as those going to their normal jobs with normal hours passed, the smell of coffee in the occasional mug greeting her nose.

Her stomach rumbled, her mouth watering at the smell she wished she had immediate money for. She sighed and pondered just what the hell to do after the obvious was over. This was such a strange turn of events that she didn't think would ever happen. She didn't know how to proceed, how to walk into a multi-billion euro company and speak with the owner as if she were going to order breakfast from him.

She had to go defend her actions, that much was true. How she was going to convince a man who seemed set on sending her to jail, she didn't know. He hadn't seemed reasonable and he looked very irate when she pleaded with him not to call the police. He barely listened to Adrien, his own son, and she feared things were going to get physical in that place.

A fist clenched as she took a mental deep breath for courage. She had to do this; there was no other way. He might not know of her business yet, but he had her full name and thus he had the power to shut her down once he or any of his employees found her site. She wasn't just going to save her relationship with Adrien and her future, she was going to defend her business from a conglomerate and a person she was going to have a hard time wining over!

With that in mind, she pushed away from the stone wall and headed off for the nearest bus stop.

She had revered Monsieur Agreste for years. He had been more than just a person and her idol. He had almost become an idea that she saw and used in her favor. All that he had done was exactly what she was still trying to do. She looked at the past he had left in magazines and newspapers in France for the breadcrumbs in making Ladybug successful and it had helped a lot. ISC had done its own thing, but she was almost too advanced from her middle school days to learn that much about making clothes. Sorbonne had almost been more of a help with the art aspect that helped her to pull ideas from her head and put them on paper when writer's block kept her stagnant. ISC was more about running her own business, but she had the basics down when she started selling her clothes in high school.

He had done so much, been so much, and she had done the same thing with him as she had with Adrien. She had created someone else using his name and his face, but not his personality. When she met him the first time months ago, she was at a loss for words. It had been hard to think with such a theory in front of her. He had become real again, had stepped from outside of the curtain she had put in front of him.

Just like Adrien, she had ran away from his father when she found out who he really was. The media was great at tainting the Agreste name from the people holding it and who they really were. Instead of discussing her actions and behavior like a real person, she escaped without stopping to go for the truth. Now was the time to vindicate herself and learn about who Gabriel Agreste actually was.

She tried to consider Sabrina's words from last night and put herself in the shoes of the owner of Gabriel. She vaguely remembered reading one time about someone going to jail for trying to copyright ideas before they were out to the public and at the time had been thankful she was a one person business. She didn't make enough for people to copy her work and she did special things that most didn't know to make sure that didn't happen anyway.

Here came a woman who was in the business of fashion, who revered Gabriel and all he had done, who was dating his son. She had made up credentials for two jobs and had gone through with both scenarios without explaining her actions. She wasn't sorry for anything she had done and she had actively participated in everything. She never hesitated, save for uncertainty at how they would get into the venue the first time.

Chloe's actions in Berlin suddenly came to her. She had disliked Chloe for a long time for previous actions, but then, without knowing the reason, Chloe's attitude drastically changed. Of course, she had been suspicious. It was over Adrien. Chloe wasn't so snippy and she, dare it be said, was almost friendly with her! She was in disbelief and was waiting for it to be a joke, but it wasn't. When she learned of why the change had happened, she was much calmer and took it in stride.

If such a thing wasn't similar to Gabriel's situation, what else could be?

Her fist clenched as she stepped off the bus on the block Gabriel was on. She stared up at the huge structure, shaking in nervous energy. She could do this...she had to do this! She had to make him see how it was all a misunderstanding of the strangest coincidence and that she posed no threat to his business. She had to be honest and confess of just how much she loved Adrien and wouldn't hurt him, nor would she use Adrien to steal secrets in Gabriel. If she had to give ideas from her current line or future ones as a proof of trust, so be it!

She stopped at the information desk, where there was a stereotypical clerk taking calls. She looked around as the woman was speaking to someone on the other end of her headset, trying to take deep breaths to slow the racing of her heartbeat.

"Can I help you?"

Her head whipped back to a pair of courteous eyes, harshly swallowing. "I need to see Monsieur Agreste over an important matter." She stated, steeling herself.

The courteous eyes turned a little annoyed and looked to the computer screen at the desk. "Do you have an appointment?"

Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "N...no..." Her hands clenched to fists. "But, we met just last night about an important matter! I spoke with the man himself! I kind of...left on bad terms...and I've come to clear up the matter that he needed to speak with me." She leaned forward. "He intended on bringing me here himself last night! Ask him!"

The employee gave her the look of someone who had heard such a story a dozen times over and she mentally cursed at how it sounded. Despite it being true, it did sound fishy. She should have just gone with him last night. It would have been easier to get in!

She leaned over the counter, as if her presence would announce the urgency of the situation. "Please! Call him up! Just tell him I'm here! He'll remember our encounter! It was just last night!"

The employee tried to squelch a sigh in front of her and went to the phone. "Natalie, there is someone here who needs to see Monsieur Agreste. She claims that they spoke last night and she's here to clear some kind of misunderstanding."

"What's the name?"

"What's your name?"

"M – Marinette D – Dupain-Cheng!" She stammered, cheeks hot.

The employee repeated the name and was silent, face changing from annoyance to one who was listening to something intently. The frown was different, as if trying to quickly decipher something she was being told to do.

She waited with the air trapped in her lungs. She wanted to tremble from the adrenaline in her system, but she was still as stone, waiting for the look...the words from a person who would grant her entrance into the realm of Gabriel. She refused to blink, even though her eyes were hurting and begging for release.

What felt like hours later, she met the employee's eyes, getting a nod.

"Stay there. I'll call someone to escort you upstairs."

The air left in a whoosh as the woman called someone else to the front area. There was another call almost immediately after the woman hung up the phone and she was forgotten as the employee went back to her job.

She looked around the huge area, at the hum of workers going about and past her as if this invisible wall didn't exist. She felt like she was asking the troll for permission to cross the bridge and it was laughable. She had been connected with Adrien for so long, but she was standing inside Gabriel as if she were some random stranger from another country looking for a tour!

"Are you Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng?"

She whipped over to the voice, nodded at some man in a suit. The employee behind the desk quickly uttered the floor and room they were to go in seconds before they headed for an elevator. She scurried a little behind him, shoulders hunched up to her ears. She had thought of looking at this business before, but not for these reasons!

The elevator ride was silent and tense, at least for her, the entire way up. The floors seemed to stretch into the sky before the ding finally sounded and the metal swept aside for them to pass. She kept her head down, mostly watching the man's legs as he led the way to a meeting room and closed it behind her, not saying anything or asking if he could get her anything.

She looked at the big space full of windows and an immense table. There seemed to be dozens of chairs lined up, all plush and full of leather. She dared take a few steps to them, trembling fingers reaching out and landing on cold, black material. The space was well-decorated, of course, and as the seconds stretched into minutes, she slowly walked further into the room for the windows.

The quiet wrapped itself around her and while she couldn't forget about her surroundings, the situation slipped from her just a little as she looked at the city she was partially towering over. The sky was blue and cloudless. It was a gorgeous day to come and plead her innocence to a man she hoped she didn't screw up in front of a third time.

A click across the way had her turning to it faster than a cobra's strike. Her eyes flew open as Gabriel himself, followed shortly by Natalie, entered the room and shut the door. She hunched into herself as he met her eyes across the room, looking utterly annoyed at either her or the whole situation. She bet on both.

"Please take a seat, Mademoiselle." Natalie evenly stated, pulling a chair out for herself as she took it. Gabriel sat next to Natalie without a word, not looking her way.

She snapped to and hurried over, almost slipping on the floor and pulling the chair too hard. She was redder than she felt she had ever been as she plopped into the leather and pulled it forward. It was like the worst job interview she had never been to! She had never been so nervous and almost wished she wasn't here.

Natalie briefly glanced her way as she also worked on some program on her tablet. "To start off with, please keep this brief. You've pulled Monsieur away from a very important meeting that he needed to attend more than this. You'll be given as much time as we can spare...which is probably ten minutes."

She blinked, head jerking back. "What? I assumed something of this magnitude would require more than such a paltry time!" She leaned over the table, eying Gabriel. He looked utterly put out, not even so annoyed as he had been last night. "I don't understand...what's going on?"

The pair were silent for a moment before Gabriel cleared his throat, sitting back in his chair. "My idiot son must not have said anything to you. Otherwise, I suppose you wouldn't have shown up."

Her brow furrowed in utter confusion. "Please, I have no idea what's going on! I sent Adrien a text last night after I left, but never got a response. I still haven't heard anything from him. I came here to clear my name and explain that this has all been some weird mix-up!"

Natalie looked to her boss, nodding. Gabriel sighed and scrubbed his forehead with his fingers a little.

Something was going on and she had no idea what the hell it was. The feeling was like falling into a pitch black hole with no end and grasping for things you just had an inkling were there, even though they may not be. It wasn't a pleasant feeling in the slightest.

Natalie looked to her tablet again. "Last night, Adrien accompanied your father to one of these rooms with a group of executives present. He spent a few hours going over the details concerning your entrance into the venue months ago and the trip in Milan. He spent those hours clearing your name and Monsieur Lahiffe's." She looked up and they locked eyes. "Although your names have been cleared, Monsieur Lahiffe will be black-listed from future business with us for such foolhardy stunts. Please relay this to him, since it seems Adrien hasn't done such a thing for you yet."

She sat at the table, in a place she didn't even need to go to, in amaze. "What?!" She squeaked out, mouth open. "S...so then...we're d – done here?"

Gabriel's fist suddenly hit the table. "No we're not!" He nearly shouted, leaning over the table a little. "My foolish son wouldn't listen to reason, but perhaps you will! Stay away from him! You've done nothing good that I've heard where it concerns him and you're a bad influence! I don't want to hear him speak of your name after this!"

Someone could've pulled the entire room from under her and she wouldn't have been able to react fast enough after what was just said. Her mouth flopped open and closed a few times, brain trying to find the right words. She had come to clear her name to find out she was fighting for something else entirely. "No!" She blurted out, jumping from the chair. She leaned over the table with a glare. "You have no right to tell me to stop seeing Adrien! I didn't pursue him; he pursued me! I didn't even want to date him in the beginning! It was all his idea!"

"Which is why he's hiding from everyone." Gabriel growled. "He stormed out of here last night when he refused to listen to my warning. I don't care what you are to him, but I don't want to see you near him anymore."

She glared, not even getting this offended by anything Chloe Bourgeois had to say during any of the middle school years she had known her.

"Listen you..." She nearly spat, fists clenched over the wood, "I don't care what you think of me, but you have treated Adrien like shit for too long!" A finger came up and jabbed in between the trio. "I can see it in the way he acts about certain things! I read all of the magazines when his mother left and I know all about the scandal. He's discussed it a little...what I could get out of him anyway. He doesn't consider you more of a father than you are a boss, so don't try to start acting like one now!"

"My family life is none of your business!" Gabriel shot from his chair and mimicked her pose, glaring daggers across the wide surface. "He's my son and I'll raise him as I see fit! Your involvement isn't necessary anymore! Do I make myself clear?"

"I love Adrien and you're not going to take him away from me!" She hotly declared, matching his glare. "We've struggled for too long to have someone like you come in between us! I've had to prove to too many people that I won't screw him over like all of the people in his past have! We're both grown adults in grad school and we're not in need of your 'advice', which is a little late in coming!" She straightened and plopped a hand against her chest. "You don't even know who I am anyway! Both times I've been mentioned to you have only been bad; you don't even know the things I'm capable of! I've made Adrien plenty happy and he's told me such many times!"

"Please sit down, Mademoiselle." Natalie broke in, arm reaching across the space. "We don't need to bring everyone else in the other offices in here."

Gabriel sat back down, almost forcing composure upon himself, but she remained standing. "I'll admit that I messed up with Adrien from practically the moment we met." She confessed, fists trembling. "I've worked hard to balance my work life and time with him so that I didn't do to him what he said you already had. I had tried to mimic you so much because I held you in such high esteem that, in some ways, I was becoming you in his eyes. The same business, the same drive, pushing him away to the point of only being a name to him, never making time...it was all the same. I've done a lot to change my ways and I've repented to him many times through that. My actions have spoken for me in almost three years. We've both struggled and we love each other deeply because of that. I won't let you take something like that away from me now, Monsieur."

There was a pause and she felt like she needed to say something else, wanted to say something else. This had become so much more important than just clearing herself from two acts of trespassing; this had become vindicating three years of relationship issues with Nathaniel and Adrien, being stuck in between them, and eventually ironing everything to the point where she could see some of the road they were walking on. It wasn't smooth and easy, but it wasn't so rocky and windy anymore.

"I came here to try and keep you from throwing me in jail, but in all honesty, I'd rather fight much more over a topic like this." Dull blue looked to the table. "I haven't given you any means think highly of me, but as I have with Adrien, I will give you a means to trust me. We're both owners of our own businesses; there is much I am willing to show you to prove myself in your eyes." She met his eyes, finding his face void of emotion. "I am in love with your son and I will do whatever I can to make you see that; to let you have his freedom to be with me as we have since we began grad school together. Your participation has never been warranted, but I will do strive for a blessing of staying out of things."

There was almost an uncomfortable pause. Gabriel threaded his fingers together and rested his mouth against him as he stared at her. She met his gaze without backing down, knowing that if she did so, she may lose the ground she suddenly found. He didn't seem angry with her anymore, more contemplative of her final words, of what she was offering. He was a businessman before he was a father and since his son had long been his commodity, she fighting for equal rights.

"I believe your time has long been up." Natalie broke in, turning her tablet screen black. She stood and looked to the pair. "Monsieur, I believe your meeting will end before you can return to it."

Gabriel stood, more out of habit of obeying his schedule than the need to actually move. He still didn't say anything and kept meeting her eyes as she followed his. After a moment, his palms landed over the table and he leaned over them again. "You're a designer..." He trailed off. She nodded. His eyes narrowed a little in thought. "Since you're willing to do anything to show me that your previous actions represent nothing about you, I think I'll have you show your merit." He straightened, staring her down. "Give me something to show me how serious you are about my son, about your life, about your future with him. If you wish to enter my world, you have to be prepared for the big time." His eyes narrowed a little. "Prove yourself that you are worth your salt as a designer. Make my son something that I can be proud of."

She slowly stood, a smile crawling over her face. Her teeth showed until her smile could form no more. "How...interesting that you mention such a topic, Monsieur..." She murmured, eyes narrowing in calculation. Her hand stuck out across the table, leaning over in her shorter stature to reach even halfway. "I was actually working on such a thing, but I had thought you would be cross with me if I actually went through with my sketches." Her eyes flicked to the end of the table, where Natalie stood. "I'm actually glad we have witnesses here today. Now it can be official. If I pass, I will have your blessing to be with your son. You won't need to worry about him when he's with me." Her smile became a little devious. "Except...perhaps to be an actual rival of Gabriel in the near future..."

Gabriel snorted at the idea, but his arm stuck out. He leaned over the table as well and clasped her hand tightly. "I will allow such a thought to enter into my head when I see this finished line of yours. My son has been in Gabriel since he could walk; I don't want to see him in anything lesser than what he deserves."

She smirked. "He might not be a good Ladybug, but he'll definitely make a nice Little Black Cat."


	82. Important meet-up

The whole ride was tense. He wanted to run the whole way there to release the pent-up anxiety and the feeling of discomfort. He didn't like any of this. If his father got to Marinette before he could, he just knew something bad had happened. He cursed the stupid idea he had that escaping was the right thing to do. Now that he thought about it, he had done a lot of that in the past, but it never solved a damn thing. He hadn't learned from his mistakes and now it might just cost him the one person he loved more than anything in the world.

By the time Chloe's driver stopped in front of their usual cafe next to the dorms, he had almost put himself in tears with worry. He stood on the curb in front of the store, not wanting to go inside for anxious of what might happen.

What if she wasn't there right now? What if she was and it was as he feared? What if she had given in to the pressure a second time and was ending it; closing the curtain on him in more ways than one?

His chest squeezed and he tried to gasp for air around it. He winced at the death grip it had on his ribs, tried to blink back the tears he was working himself up into getting.

He shook his head and forced his legs to move to the door. This wasn't good; he had to believe! He couldn't let all of their hard work go to waste now! They had done so much, endeavored so much just to be together to let something like his father get in their way now!

He looked around for her, finding her in their usual table, her notebook in one hand. It was angled toward her face, her eyes on it in a look of fierce concentration with her pencil drawing and erasing every other second. He knew that look. She wouldn't notice was was there until he actually pulled out a chair right next to her.

He took a deep breath. 'This is nothing. Stop thinking like this. You love her and she loves you. This isn't going to be like everyone else. She's proved that to you a long time ago. Stop being such an idiot and go sit down!'

His legs were slow to take him over. There weren't even that many people here at this hour in the afternoon so there weren't that many to get in his way. But, it still took him twice as long to get to the table in a place that was barely the size of the entrance of the mansion.

He stopped on her side, watching her work on some top. She didn't look his way, assuming he was one of the other customers in the store. He tensed his jaw for whatever conversation they were about to have and reached out for the back of the chair.

She jumped when the movement finally gained her attention and the pencil broke on the page. She swore in Mandarin at it and looked up. Her eyes widened and the look she had when drawing dissolved in to a little shock and something he couldn't discern.

He gradually sat down, facing her and watching her give a subdued look to her sketchpad before slowly it. She shifted his way as he sat down and took his hands in hers with a sigh. "Adrien...it feels like it's been a while."

His throat constricted when she didn't look his way. She should have been more pleased to know he was alive after such an incident occurred. His mouth opened, but air wouldn't enter to his lungs. He couldn't answer her.

She gave his fingers a squeeze, jaw tight. "I...met with your father...found out what you did for Nino and myself. I wanted to thank you for sticking your neck out like that." She looked to him with solemn eyes.

"O...of course I would..." He murmured, unable to get the rock out of his stomach. "I did it because I love you."

She smiled a little, but didn't immediately return his sentiments. She looked to his hands, eyes serious. He felt like his heart was ripping apart.

Her mouth opened a few times without words before she shook her head with a small chuckle. "I don't know what to say next. The meeting with him...I kind of said too much I think. We yelled at each other and I...I think I promised something I might not be able to do." Her eyes strayed to the pad at the table. "I want to believe that I can do this, but I find myself doubting my previous words to him."

His hands shot out and clutched her shoulders, getting a shocked look. A tear fell down his cheek. "Ignore everything he said!" He shook her a little. "I refuse to do as he wants! I'll not cast you away because he wants me to! He doesn't control anything I do and he certainly won't keep a grip on my own emotions!" He pulled her closer, feeling desperate at the stunned look on her face. He only partially worried that his nails were too tight; that he was hurting her more than he was right now. "I love you..." He breathed, pulling her to him in a fierce hug. The trapped air left him in a whoosh at the feel of her in his arms. "I'll never give you up. Not after everything we've been through..."

She returned his embrace, fingers going through his hair. "I love you, too." She jolted when she realized how her words must have sounded. She grasped his forearms and pulled back. "No! No, Adrien! I won't give you up either! I'm sorry...it's not that!" She quickly shook her head, nails digging into his skin. "I yelled at your father! I almost cursed him in that room! I venomously refused to let you go, but he wouldn't have it." Blue fell to her grip on his arms, face heating. "I made an ass of myself to a person I once respected and I..." Her lips pressed together, the heat increasing.

The weight on his chest was whisked away with her reassurance, but something else replaced it. "What? What's the matter?" He bent down to see her face, his hands twisting to take hers in his.

"I...we made a bet. A wager...an agreement of sorts." Uncertainty filled her face and she directed it his way. "What do I do? I have to do something worthy of him; of you! It wasn't anything I intended on being this serious on! How am I going to make it at his level? I threw it out there to prove myself; to prove that we would be okay without his interference. Oh god...I was too prideful! I made a huge mess of everything!"

He hugged her when she put her face in her hands and gave a shaky breath. His hand rubbed over her back, protective instincts trying to wrap around the both of them and keep her safe from something he had no idea what she was trying to convey. "Shh, it'll be okay, my lady." He coaxed, kissing the top of her head. "Whatever it is, we'll get through it. We've done so together from much worse things. Every step of the way we've rushed headlong into this and we came out of it stronger than before. I'll help wherever I can, however I can. I won't rest until we prove to my father this bet of yours."

She pulled away and grasped at his shirt with shaking fingers, breathing slightly choppy. "I agreed to make you a full line worthy of you and his vision! Oh god...how can I compare to him? I can't do this! He's going to find fault in everything I do and I don't know if I can stand that! I...I want to hate the man after all of this...but I still think so highly of him!" Hands covered her face again. "Damn it, I was too cocky. I made it sound like I had half the line already done!"

A brow rose. "Don't you?"

She looked at him like he was crazy. "This is to impress Gabriel Agreste! I can't use those pitiful drawings! They're crap!"

His hand shot out and tightly clenched her jaw with upset eyes. "Don't ever think your talent below his for a second." He harshly denied. His eyes narrowed. "Your work can and has easily rivaled my father's. You've done much in the short time it took for you to build your business. Don't ever think you're lower than him just because you're not in every store in Europe."

His grip lightened when she winced at it during his speech. His fingertips immediately caressed the area in apology. "Your style is different from his. That is all. Make the line. I want to see it. I'll give you my opinion and help you wherever I can, but in the end, this is all by your hand. I don't know how to sew or cut worth anything. The only thing I can give you is myself for your measuring tape." His lips twitched. "I'll admit, I already snuck a peek at your sketchpad and I've been waiting quite eagerly to put everything on. I want to flaunt your style to the world and...believe it or not...I already said something of a sort to Chloe."

She blinked, her anxiety wiped away at the name. "I think we need to grab a coffee to go and spend the next two hours getting everything laid out because now I'm really confused."

He chuckled and sat back, suddenly remembering their location and the audience they undoubtedly had. Nothing had been spoken in Mandarin; he had been too distraught to do so and she answered in turn. "That sounds like a great idea. First we catch up, and then we get down to business. But first..."

He harshly pulled her lips to his in a kiss that said he hadn't seen her in a few days. That he loved her more than anything he could name. That he was fearful of what he thought she was about to say. That he wouldn't let her go whether she succeeded or failed.

She gripped at his shirt, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She kissed him back with a bizarre mixture of her own emotions from the whole situation that had spiraled into something so odd and unmanageable.

Things would be alright. He knew they would. The longer he could taste the heat of her mouth, the longer it solidified itself in his heart. He wouldn't let her fail, but if by some strange sense of bad luck she did, he would still put his foot down to make his father leave them alone. Even if he had to give up something else he didn't want to do, he would find it in him to sacrifice as she was putting herself out right now.

His lips twitched and his smile finally broke the kiss he didn't want to leave. He wanted to remain attached to her mouth in such a way and forget that a few people were probably watching them right now. His fingers brushed past her cheek, his thumb going over her lips since his own couldn't. She smiled under his touch, but still he continued. "My amazing lady." He chuckled. "You didn't need a knight in shining armor at all, huh?"

She gave him a weird look before her face flamed hot as the sun. Her fingers twiddled together. "I...I was five seconds away from swearing at your father in the face actually..."

He started laughing and it felt good. "I wish...I could've b – been there..." He stammered, unable to contain himself. His stomach was starting to hurt, his shoulder got a swat from her for continuing on so much longer than he needed. "T – tell...me ev – verything..."

She abruptly stood before that beautiful noise affected her, too. "First things first, Monsieur. Coffee."

He stood and wiped a tear from his eyes. "I agree, my lady. I haven't had coffee since this morning."

Her eyes narrowed before she headed away. "Something to do with Chloe. You'll regale me in full and you'd better." She looked over her shoulder, not pleased in the slightest. "Heading off to your friend instead of your girlfriend...you finicky kitty."

His eyes turned a little possessive at the slightly annoyed, slightly playful tone in her voice. At the smile curving her lips just enough to test his patience in public. His arms captured her and kept her against the back of his chest, nose smelling her hair. "This kitty is back with his rightful owner. A real lady who makes sure to scratch behind his ears."

She slapped her forehead with a grin, shaking her head as the only response she could give.

01010

"You didn't!" He gasped through laughter. "I wish I could've been there!"

She slapped his shoulder, almost making him spill his coffee on her thigh that he was resting on. "Stop going on about it; it's embarrassing!" She groused.

"You're just so amazing. I can't stress that enough is all." He sat up, putting his coffee on the grass near them. His fingers toyed with some of her loose hair with a smile. "You can do anything and you even stood up to my father with the fires of hell behind you. I bet Natalie was at a loss for words."

She smirked. "She certainly didn't say much during our yelling match, that's for sure."

"Not that she does in general."

"I will admit that I was astonished at how animated your father was though." She mumbled around her coffee lid. She took a quick sip, thoughtfully looking to the other half of the park they were in. The smell of her parent's bakery was starting to reach them on the other side she insisted they head to. She bet it was only a bit more before Adrien would find the smell on the wind, one she was well-acquainted with and could easily catch, and insist they stop over for a snack. "I don't think I've ever known him to raise his voice. Even when he threatened to put me in jail, he didn't slam his hands on a table or something."

He idly went for her sketchbook and flipped through it for his personal line. "He doesn't do that often, so you can check that off in your book, too. You've pissed off Gabriel Agreste a little. Congratulations."

She promptly took the large pad and slapped his chest with it. "I don't need to hear sarcasm from you, Monsieur! Stop being so catty about this!"

He curled his fingers near his face and meowed. "That's what I am. Perfect nickname, my lady." He took the pad back and tried to find where he was. "Now...about the designs. I like a lot of them. Talk to me about fabrics."

She turned the pages until she stopped on a full-page, long-sleeve shaded mostly in black with notes all over the blank spots. Teeth bit her lips, a blush soon following, as her pointer started shaking. "Th – this one...is where I k – kind of...wanted to start on first." She harshly swallowed. "I w – wanted to make it out of...sturdy black...leather..."

It was shaded with the look of black, though she put light spots to make it look realistic. The collar was kind of high, with something resembling a small bell for the front zipper. There were lines near the collarbone that made the jacket itself look like it had muscles. He assumed that those spots were there to accentuate his own build. There were a few zippers in the front, but other than that, the jacket was free of other design.

He looked up to find her a stammering mess and his lips twitched.

"I – I...It was really a...p – personal decision..." She rambled, face beet red. She refused to meet his eyes and her legs shifted a little. "I...th – think...you'd look...p – pretty g – good..."

He knew that look, but he refused to let himself fall into the pits of lust he hadn't seen since before he got sucked into making her birthday present. He could contain his sense of control, somehow, to "celebrate" later when he put it on and made her squirm like this when she was naked.

He sat up and leaned closer to her, getting slightly wide eyes. His sense of playfulness reared its ugly head. "I think it'd look great. I can honestly say that I don't own a leather jacket. Father doesn't think it's very...chic." His fingers came up and lightly ran across her jawline. "Maybe, if you think I'd look so good in it, I'll have to try it on in our dorm...just for safety's sake."

It was only when his lips almost touched hers did it dawn on her that he was toying with her. "I'm not your personal mouse toy!" She blurted out, harshly shoving against his chest. He landed hard on the ground, but she was too annoyed to care. She glared as he winced, a hand at the back of his head. "Stop doing that!" Her arms crossed as she pouted. "You know how much I hate it when," She quickly switched to Mandarin, "you make me burn and then don't bother to take care of things."

He smirked through the pain and sat up, taking her fingertips in his and kissing her knuckles. "If I didn't make you so...hot..." He licked her lips, smooth Mandarin oozing from him. "Then what would be the fun of watching you unravel without release?" His eyes playfully narrowed. "It's as much torture for me as it is you, you know..." He leaned closer, nipping on an earlobe. "Not being able to bury myself inside you and watch you come. Being forced to watch you get all flustered without being able to bury my head in your breasts to make you cry out my name..."

Her fingers made to push him away again, to stop him being a little shit, but his breath was hot against her ear and his voice could do her in alone. Her fingers grabbed his shirt in a death grip even as they shook.

She made a lot of these drawings based on personal desire to see him in specific items. While she had torn a lot of pages out of her sketchbook, many of them remained. They were only altered and perfected. Except for the jacket. It had always been perfect from the second it crossed her mind.

It could go with the shirt she made. She had planned on making the jacket loose enough to wear with something else during the chilliest parts of any winter he happened to find in any part of the world. Thick enough that he wouldn't feel the freezing wind and jet black to bring out the blond of his wild hair.

She wanted to see him as a bad boy again. She wanted to break the mold he fit into because of his father. He proved that his look could be one of two main options: a well-behaved, rich model or a man capable of making her burn with a mere look.

"Th...there are...gloves...too..." She breathed, hardly able to find her voice, let alone her brain. She gulped air, wanting him to whisper more into her ear and turn her upside down so quickly that she did something inappropriate in public. As it was, she relished in what he meant as she tried to go back to her ideas.

He turned the page to find a pair of wide cuffed, black gloves. He read the notes and found "leather" and "stretchy?". The design itself seemed pretty boring, except for the wrist piece, which seemed thicker and bent out a little.

"I also w – wanted...t – to make those p – pants...that I never d – did..." She rambled, flipping the page again. "Y...you seem to be able t – to pull off...skinny jeans... B – but since...winter is coming..." She cleared her throat, her bad habit starting to get worse as she let herself lose control. She took a few deep breaths to get it under control. "I was thinking that maybe I could...maybe make them...l – leather as well..."

He gave a roguish smile. "You seem to want me in all leather, my lady." He rested his lips almost against hers. "Is there a fetish of yours that you haven't told me yet, hmm?"

She shoved him away again with a pout, not believing he was suffering just as much as she was right now. "Stop that!" She slapped him when he laughed at her misery. "This is serious here! This is my pride on the line."

"Leather pride." He gaily cracked. His smile slipped a degree, fire igniting in his eyes. "Are you maybe planning on making yourself a matching set?"

She couldn't help the playful smile. "At this point, you're too much of a tomcat for me to consider being so nice." She reached up and lightly flicked his nose. "Maybe if you're a good kitty and don't try to claw me too much, I might consider it a Noel present when all is said and done..."

He took her fingers in his and licked the knuckles slowly. "Then it's a promise. If you can manage to get through making me all this...and standing all that I intend on doing to you while wearing it...then I'll be a patient kitty and wait for my meal."

 _Adrien's_ _outfit:_ _see_ _any_ _Chat_ _Noir_ _transformation_


	83. Designer's stress

He was utterly thankful that school hadn't started yet because she kept them up till almost two a.m. every day since she made the insane wager with his father. After they met up and she told him everything that had happened, stating that she could get this done before school started, she got up with the dawn and forced him to do so as well. She mapped out almost every inch of his measurements, using more than he knew needed to be done with circumferences and angles he wondered were actually going to be useful.

By noon, she always crashed for an hour of needed sleep, letting him take a nap as well. She set her phone for one to wake them up and then kept them up till midnight before he started complaining. She would often let him lay down while she kept drawing, making notes, mumble about color schemes she wanted to utilize, or ransack his closet for the cuts his father had used.

He didn't know why she did this for an entire week when he had seen the sketchpad for himself. She had four pairs of pants, three t-shirts, four sweaters, three long-sleeve shirts, the leather jacket, gloves, and even a pair of winter boots! Noel was nowhere around the corner, but she was treating it as if it was. Like she hadn't started anything; had none of his measurements and didn't know which colors looked best. She was acting like she hadn't even gotten to the drawing board yet! But she had already made him two articles of clothing and already knew what looked good on him after having seen him in numerous pairs of clothing.

He tried not to say anything because not only did she know best, whenever he tried to suggest anything or attempt to help, she snapped at him and gave him a rollercoaster of emotions. By day three of this, he just kept his mouth shut until she purposely asked him a question. He wanted to bring his laptop to listen to music, but she had too much in her room for it to comfortably rest anywhere, so he loaded some songs on his phone and used that instead in the meantime. He was happy she didn't mind, although most of it was Nino's stuff.

At one point, he remembered that she bought cds from Nino's shop and when he requested they play one so he could hear her taste in music, he was shocked at such a rock tone. She was so sweet and innocent until the first song played and she perked right up. She became much more animated because of the music that he almost wondered could pass for basic "rock" and maybe more along the lines of "hard rock" or "thrash". Not that the band was bad, but he couldn't put them together. Not with her. Not with that cute smile of hers.

She kept fretting about the first part when it was all but done and he felt like she was procrastinating studying for the big exam. She put off making the actual products for what felt like the last minute and he wanted to say something, but didn't dare. She'd know when the time was right and he had to be quiet. It wasn't like he knew what had to be done anyway.

It was hard to sleep with the sewing machine when it started going and there were a few of the other residents that banged on the wall at midnight. She resorted to doing the basic cutting and smaller stitching that had to be done by hand...except she filled the room with so much loose fabric and trash pieces that he didn't dare get out of bed lest he step on something and mess it up or get pins up his feet. She tried to keep the sewing into the daylight hours once everything was actually cut. She made the easy things first and got most of them situated to where they only needed small extras here or there that she couldn't do before.

He was starting to get excited as he watched everything come together. The first thing to show up was a t-shirt, v-neck cut with a green that matched his eyes. There was black trim at the collar and edges of his sleeves. It was simple, but no one in his father's company had tried so hard to find fabric in that cotton blend that matched his eyes as she had. He was flattered.

One of the things that he could find in at least one spot was his logo. She had given the accidental brand name in front of his father, as silly as it sounded. She admitted that she hadn't thought about it as heavily as the rest of his stuff, but he didn't let her change it. It was amusing when she explained why it popped into her head though...

" _Oh_ _god...you're_ _going_ _to_ _make_ _me go into something_ _that_ _complicated?_ _Okay..._ _Traditionally,_ _black_ _cats_ _are_ _considered_ _bad_ _luck,_ _but_ _it's_ _just_ _for_ _stupid_ _reasons_ _that_ _don't_ _mean_ _anything_ _anymore._ _So_ _while_ _you_ _might_ _have_ _had_ _bad_ _luck_ _earlier_ _in_ _your_ _life,_ _that_ _doesn't_ _mean_ _you_ _will_ _from_ _here_ _on_ _out._ _Plus,_ _it_ _goes_ _with_ _your_ _nickname_ _that_ _I_ _gave_ _you._ _Also,_ _you_ _said_ _that_ _you_ _liked_ _cats_ _over_ _dogs._ _And_ _I_ _like_ _you_ _the_ _best_ _in_ _black._ _So...Little_ _Black_ _Cat."_

" _Why_ _not_ _just_ _Black_ _Cat?"_

" _Because_ _kitties_ _are_ _way_ _cuter_ _over_ _anything_ _else._ _The_ _name_ _also_ _rolls_ _off_ _the_ _tongue_ _better."_

She had thought it out so much and covered everything in the span of a breath. The logo was a simple cat's paw and it was cute. She stitched every single toe-bean in black thread where applicable. Otherwise, she went with the green thread that matched his eyes. She had made a t-shirt with the paws right over the top of each bicep and under the back of the collar. They weren't bigger than his thumbnail, so they were subtle, but would still stand out enough to point out his brand.

He smiled.

His own brand...

This was too much! If she kept up doing stuff like this, he was going to have to make good on that statement during the first meal she cooked at the dorms. It felt like years ago, but he would still hold himself to that question if she forced his hand. His smile widened as soft eyes looked to the cat's paw.

" _Is_ _it_ _too_ _soon_ _to_ _ask_ _you_ _to_ _marry_ _me?"_

" _Eat y – your dinner a – and let me e – enjoy mine!"_

" _Is that a no?"_

He hadn't planned on doing such anytime soon, but it wasn't something terrible if he rolled the idea around in his head. Just...what did he plan on after that? They were both still in school and had nothing they had even started. He was well aware of all that she wanted to accomplish and he wanted her to succeed. He didn't want to bog her down with such things yet. There was so much she had yet to do.

He looked over at the constant clicking of knitting needles. She was currently covered in a thick, almost furry deep green sweater that had an amazing pattern on it. She looked to be maybe half done, but the amount of finished yarn was covering her legs. Even though he had been in the room with her at this later hour, she hardly noticed him. Even with the bags under her eyes, she looked wide awake somehow.

He wanted her to finish this large project first. That was the biggest, short-term issue she was currently tackling. She was busting through getting the seventeen articles made and it looked like she was almost half done. She had the t-shirts done, save for any final adjustments, two of the sweaters were finished, the long-sleeve shirts were halfway there, and all of the leather supplies she wanted to use were sitting in a corner in a box.

Once this debacle with his father was over, he could show off his lady to the man who created Gabriel and boast of her talents. If he was lucky, his father would recognize her skills and bring her into his company somehow or at least endorse her. Her business would take off either way and that was a side effect he wanted out of this.

It was the least he could do...that either of them could do!

He was finally going to get to model for her in a way he had never considered. He knew she could make men's clothing, he just didn't think the line would solely be for him. She didn't think this would ever be showcased to the public, but he didn't care if it was...so long as he got to be the primary model she put on her webpage. That would still go in hand with what he discussed with Chloe earlier.

Chloe. She offered her help and he knew if she did, she would follow through. While he had a tendency to shoot out ideas that he often forgot about, she wouldn't be the same. He had to contact her and get the word out about Little Black Cat. He mentally planned on holding her to it, to whatever she was thinking of doing. He knew her circles were extensive in different avenues than his and that was good; the advertising could spread much more thoroughly that way.

He sat on the bed as slowly as he could so she didn't startle and poke herself. It was almost one and he would stop her soon to make her get some sleep. As it was, he wanted to pass out an hour ago, but she had taken residence up on the bed and he didn't want to bother her. Playing on his phone seemed the only way to pass the time. He could have gone to his room to sleep, but he wanted to be here with her. Supporting her by being at her side. It was all he could do.

01010

"Do you plan on getting more muscle in your arms any time soon?" She fluffed the sleeve on the t-shirt, eyes critically narrowed on it.

"Do you want me to?"

"That's not an answer I want." She tapped his shoulder. "If you are, I'll leave it this loose. If you aren't, I might just tighten it."

"It's a t-shirt. Leave it loose so it can get some air for the summer."

She nodded with an acknowledging grunt. She was otherwise silent as she circled him, pins in her mouth that he tried to take out, but she kept batting his hands away. He eventually let her do as she pleased while he tried to be a living mannequin for her, just giving feedback and nothing else.

"Okay. I guess it's not too loose that it looks unsightly." Her fingers stuck up past the black trim, flapping it only a little. "We'll go with the summer excuse." She turned around and jotted the notes in her sketchpad, making an extra part for the black and green trim option she had also made. "Okay, take that off and grab the sweater."

He folded the t-shirt and put it in the "done" section on her desk before snatching up the green, fuzzy sweater off the "to check" pile. It was soft and warm, a tad too warm for the beginning of September. It was perhaps a month too early to be wearing it, but he knew when he did, he wouldn't be cold in the slightest.

The design was the same v-neck as all of his other shirts. She said that, because of the angle of his jaw and slant of his chin, it looked better than a crew neck. The pattern was the same color as the rest of the green, but the majority of the pattern ran down the center. It was a cable pattern she called it, whatever that meant, and it looked complicated. She had a few of the "cables" running up the center with one on the corners of the front to balance it out. She had left the back plain, with a knitted cats paw at the back of the neck part, as with all other tops. There was also one at the left side in the front.

If she placed any of the paws on the front of his clothing, she always put them on the left side near the bottom. Her reasoning was because his right arm was just a little longer than his left and this way his logo wouldn't be in danger of being hidden if he kept his arms in front of him. He also had a habit of putting his right hand in his pocket more than his left and thus he would scrunch up the fabric if he did so.

" _Huh...that's odd."_

" _What is?"_

" _One of your arms is just a tiny bit longer than the other. You're right-handed and it shows. Huh...that's interesting. I'll have to adjust for it then."_

" _The things you find out about me."_

" _And it won't be forgotten, trust me."_

How did she remember such a tiny detail about him from months back?! He only did after she reminded him of sitting on him naked to figure out what to make him for his birthday present. The whole thing made his heart want to weep in sheer joy for all of the little things that she memorized about him.

Really, Chloe didn't need to be worried about Marinette at all where he was concerned.

"How does it feel?"

He smiled. "It's perfect."

"It doesn't stretch odd in any place?"

He brought his arms up above his head, rolled them a few times around himself as he twisted, and puffed his chest out. "Feels perfect. Not a stitch out of place."

She nodded, circling him again. She tugged on the back a bit, doing the same to his wrists. "Thank god I kept my clicker with me. I would have been off stitch count if I didn't..." She shook her head. "Next one. Grab the gloves."

The leather was soft, but the second they went on his skin, he could tell his fingers would be cold no longer. The wrist, while originally drawn kind of odd, was wide enough that he could tuck a sweater, a jacket, or anything underneath and it wouldn't get mashed up. She had justified the gap in that it was wide to put his clothing in comfortably and the extra leather would keep the wind out, also protect the edges of his clothing from snow if he grabbed hold of any.

He had thought there was nothing major about the gloves aside the wrists, but she put a small, metal cat's paw at the cuff as if it were a button holding the whole thing together though the fabric was slightly stretchy. Gold to match his hair, of course.

He held his hands out for inspection once they were on. She brought them close to her face, bending every digit and moving his wrists. She did so for almost five minutes before she stopped and looked at him. "Feel uncomfortable at all? Is there any air getting in that you can feel? How about circulation getting cut off?"

"Nope, nope, and nope." He smiled. "These are actually the warmest gloves I've ever had the pleasure of wearing and I can't wait till it freezes around here."

She nodded, not accepting the praise until everything was done. As it was, her head hurt from being awake so much and her eyes felt gritty, but she ignored it all until the last step was done. She had taken so much care in making everything, agonizing over every small inch of his skin so she didn't have to re-measure after she put in all this headache during the first run.

She was about to pass out, but she wasn't going to tell him that.

They finally got down to the jacket and she slid it up his arms, listening as he zipped it up. She circled him, watching him shake his head and tousle his hair.

The bottom of her stomach dropped somewhere to the other side of the planet.

The lines she had made over the biceps made him seem much more muscular and his shoulders broader than they actually were. The neck part looked a tad odd, since a jacket usually didn't have such a high collar, but the way he put his hair gave it the edge she had envisioned.

"Whew, this thing is hot, but it feels great!" He praised, moving his arms in a series of poses to test the material. "I'm going to start sweating here soon if I don't get out of this. One thing is for sure, I could sleep naked with this thing on and not feel any cold in the dead of winter."

She watched his fingers go for the zipper, hardly hearing him question the small bell and critiquing the use for a cats paw instead. Her head swam as he unzipped bare skin and muscle for her eyes to take in.

She felt her blood pound harder, raise her blood pressure, and she stumbled back a step at getting vertigo.

He watched in confusion until a hand went to her head and her free one reached out for something stable. He grasped her wrist and pulled her to him, instantly worried. The slight panting she was suddenly doing had his eyes raking over her form for injury, even though they had only been doing this for the last thirty minutes or so. "My lady?" He asked, shaking her a little when she didn't answer. He tightened his grip around her back when she looked up, rapidly blinking a few times. "Marinette...are you okay?!"

She took a few deep breaths. They were almost done! She just needed to see the boots and have him put the gloves on to see how they'd fit with the thickness of the jacket and she'd be satisfied. She really wanted him to put the leather pants on too, but it wasn't cold enough for that. Plus, she really wanted him to put his birthday present on with it anyway.

"It's okay...?" She quietly asked, slowly stepping back from his hold. "Not too tight in the back...not too short in the arms?"

"You're not feeling well!" He grasped her arms tightly. "Let's stop and go to bed right now. We can finish this in the morning."

"No!" She loudly declared, batting his hands away. She glared when he looked at her disapprovingly. "I just want to see a few more things...then we're done... I just need some water maybe."

"Or sleep." He retorted, hands on his hips. "You've been wearing yourself to the bone for days now. I knew I should have stepped in and made you sleep more! Now look what you've done to yourself."

"Focus!" She went for the zipper and quickly yanked it up so she'd stop seeing his bare chest and the effects it did on her. "And then we can sleep. Now...answer me. Focus."

He pouted that she would keep knowingly put herself in danger like this, but did as she asked, trying to keep it short. "The material isn't breathable in the slightest. Arms are a sufficient length, even with my oddity. Back flexes well and it's not tight in the shoulders at all."

She nodded. "Good. Now, put on the gloves. Since they're something of a set, I want to make sure the sleeves go in okay at the wrists."

He quietly did as ordered, knowing the faster they got done the faster she could sleep. He kept a wary eye on her face as she looked to everything and toyed with the cuffs a bit. He took in the squint, but to him, it only looked like she was trying to force her eyes open. He could see a few bags under her lids and some red veins in her eyes.

He was going to chastise someone when this was all over. As it was, he was already kicking himself for not getting on her case more to take care of herself.

He reported satisfaction to all her questions and promptly sat down on the bed to put the boots on. His eyes widened when he looked straight down and saw something of a cat's paw as the logo made with the steel toe she had created.

He wondered how she was going to do so with such sturdy material that she had worked with. She had actually crafted the steel toe plating to look like pieces of a paw! When he watched her make it, it didn't look like anything much from the side or at a distance. The silver part of the shoe was almost a mere accent piece. The top of the boots had the same wide cuff as the gloves with the same reasoning: his pants could be put in the bottom and keep the winter air out.

Dear god...how much more capable was she in making things?! He was ready to pay two hundred Euro for the shoes alone because she deserved such a fee! Three hundred was not out of his range either.

"Too tight? Can you wiggle your toes? How is the arch? Is it enough cushion?" She bent down and checked the side zipper, knocked on the metal plating, tugged at the ankles. "Does it feel heavy enough? They're supposed to be sturdy, support your arch since you walk so much, and protect your toes." She gave a small smile. "Papa once dropped a pan on his foot years ago and broke his big toe. I've never forgotten it."

"I doubt I'll be dealing with kitchen cookware anytime soon, but everything works as you were thinking." He craned his neck, the high collar not letting any air in. "I really am going to start sweating and you made such soft inner lining. I don't want to ruin it before we showcase everything. Mind if I take this all off now? I think I've tried on everything and passed your inspection."

She stared at the jacket, wondering if she could handle him stripping down to his pants, even though she was this tired. "Yea...I think we're done here." She flopped onto her rug with her hands barely catching her from behind. "Whew...two days ahead of schedule. Thank god...I...need sleep..."

She looked like she could flop back on the floor and sleep right then and there. He quickly took off the new items, ready to properly gush over them later, and cleaned off the bed. "Come on, my lady, let's get you to bed first. Do you want to sleep in that?"

She stood with his help, trying to go slow, but the world still spun when she was vertical. She stumbled against him, thankful he was sturdier than her. "At this point...I don't really care." She yawned for a few seconds, feeling her limbs gain a few kilos. "Just help me to bed..."

He promptly picked her up, getting a surprised squeak from her, and took the two steps before putting her back down. He put a finger to her lips when she started to complain about not being able to walk. "Shh...you've done too much, my lady. You're going to damage yourself one of these days."

She suddenly threw a hand over her eyes, teeth clenched. Her free hand grasped at his forearm for a moment. The world spun from the sudden rise and fall of being picked up and put down before stilling. She panted a few breaths, peeking an eye out from her hand.

"Are you okay?!" He quickly sat down and cradled her face in his hands. "Marinette!"

"I wish...you hadn't...done that..." She panted. Her hand fell away, slits of eyes trying to look at him. She yawned again, feeling her weight sink into the mattress. Her back and legs were sore from all the bending and standing and her fingers were throbbing from overuse, as were her feet.

"Marinette...my lady?" He watched her head go slack into one of his palms and wide green looked at her face in worry until the slow rise and fall of her chest helped tell him that she merely fell asleep. He heaved a sigh, feeling his adrenaline let down, and tried to put her head on the pillow as gently as he could.

He rested his palms on either side of her head, his forehead lowering until it came into contact with her ribcage. He rose and fell with her slow breathing, an overdue tune he hadn't heard enough of lately. Perhaps now that this was over, she could sleep for a day before they headed out to meet with his father.

Solemn eyes peeked open and took in the pattern of her shirt. This was going to be the last foolish thing she was forced to do because of him. She had already broken into a venue, faked job credentials at his suggestion, and now overworked herself to exhaustion because of his father. Enough was enough!

He sat up and stared at her for as long as his eyes and his own exhaustion would let him. The need to cradle her, keep her safe for his own selfish needs, made him quickly clean up her room and change before carefully getting in beside her. He tried to take her in his arms as slowly as possible so he didn't wake her up. She made a small protest noise, but didn't stir.

He tried to keep his hold light. She shouldn't have done this to herself! He should have seen her behavior and remembered what it led to, what he knew very well it entailed, and made his father adjust the bet time so this didn't happen! He blamed himself for not stepping in further than he should have to do something...anything...to ease her burden.

He always felt so helpless next to her. She could do so much and he was just standing around. What had he provided her except his own emotions this entire time? He had given money and had flown her places, but he did that a lot with other women and it was nothing special to him. The only thing he did was one measly piano piece that he didn't even write himself. He really was pretty pathetic...

She could cook, create any kind of clothing or jewelry that she could think up, was a great artist, funny, beautiful, sexy, kind, overdid it for others, a great friend, had a great family, could sing, and had paid for graduate school by her own work. She was intending on being as famous as his father and was well on her way.

It seemed like everyone but him had something of a dream they were striving for. Marinette was going to be a famous designer, Nino was already an accomplished musician, Alya was working on being a journalist, and every one of Marinette's friends had jobs they were already in or working toward. Things they actually wanted to do or were always good at. He was only good at modeling and felt he had never done anything much. He had been directed well in every aspect of his life, but never got to think about what he wanted to do. College was never his choice and his job was already chosen for him.

The only thing he knew that he wanted was Marinette by his side. That was the one thing he had been able to choose for himself lately. The fight for her against his father had never filled him with more emotion nor made him feel more alive in any venture he had ever undertaken. Maybe, when his first degree was done, he would think about the next year and see what he wanted to do after that.

Provided this whole headache with his father worked in their favor...


	84. Different kind of photo shoot

There was no point in getting done so far ahead of schedule. It wasn't like such a thing going to win her a prize. It was just her workaholic tendencies going strong and the worry that she wouldn't make it because of her perfectionist streak. After the selected date came, they were to make a catalog spread and turn in the items for his personal inspection. Making everyone get to work when they weren't expecting it was more annoying for them, so she let Adrien talk to his father about that. She took that time to rest, as it was direly needed.

Thankfully, Gabriel was okay with utilizing his photographers for the bet, though she could have called Juleka for help, as she had in the past. The woman was also an art student and had saved up for a very nice camera years ago that she used for landscape art. Juleka had been so kind as to take a few pictures of past models...for a small monetary fee and artist recognition on her website. The less people that got involved with this though, the better. This whole thing had become far more complicated and unnecessary than she ever imagined. The last thing she wanted was to involve the rest of her friends, too. It would be kind of stupid since she hadn't hung out with most of them since last Noel.

There weren't a lot of items, but she designed everything to be changeable quite easily. While she had made his original shirt without a cat's paw, wanting to just make him something for his birthday, she stitched a blood red paw on the back of the collar as quickly as she could and made it the first piece. The shawl couldn't count because she had put spots on it already, so left it out of the collection. After this, she bet it would be the only thing she made him from her Ladybug branch. Despite his insistence, she wanted him to have his own line made by her hands.

The line, as small as it was, changed his look. His father's style portrayed him as one of the upper class with crisp cuts and specific, brighter colors. She knew differently though. Adrien liked being a normal person and almost hid his model status where possible. Many of her designs had his original desires in mind and they showed on his face the second he slipped something on. She knew the person he was when he wasn't working, although she knew that face, too. Honestly, she preferred the owner of Little Black Cat better.

"Are you going to be okay with this?"

"I won't lie and pretend I'm fine." She mumbled, nervously tapping her fingers on an arm. The world passed by on the bus they were in, taking them to Gabriel. "Never did I think I would be able to get my name out to anyone this way...even though I'm not."

He smile and jiggled the huge bag of articles he was to wear soon. "You'll do fine. I love it all. I don't even care if father likes it because I plan on wearing it once it's cold enough for leather."

She didn't know about that. She had been nervous since she woke up this morning, knowing that more than herself were going to be seeing him in something like this...though the public would if he ever wore it outside the dorms. Her tastes were different from Gabriel, but he probably liked her style because it was so out there. She was flattered that he was so appreciative of it, but she didn't know what the masses were going to say when they saw him in some of her stuff. That alone was nerve-wracking and she didn't know if she could handle the criticism.

They got off the bus shortly after and headed inside. The last and first time she had been here went through her head as she recognized the employee. The woman took one look at Adrien and looked back to her with wide eyes. There was a sense of "oh shit" that came from the employee and she fought a smile.

"We've got a meeting with the photographer." Adrien announced with a grin. He held up the bag, free hand grasping her arm. "Don't call someone on our account. I think I know the way."

She scowled at the wink he passed his employee before they headed for the elevator. She wondered if the poor woman had ever let the owner's son pass through the front door that much. "Wish I had that easy of a time last time I was here..." She grumbled, crossing her arms.

He kissed the top of her head. "This time will be much better than before. We'll erase the last bad memory and put something much better in place."

She sighed, pushing off the elevator wall when it dinged. "I hope you're right..." She mumbled, feeling nerves spike as they headed into the area.

He took her hand and got a tight squeeze back. "Nothing bad is going to happen when we're together. Trust me. I won't let father do anything." His eyes darkened a little in seriousness as he directed them to their awaiting room. The last few weeks and the guilt at what he'd done, what he'd allowed to happen, went through his mind. "I messed up last time, but that was the only time."

She looked up as he ushered her past the door, the promise in his words soothing her a little. It took the edge off everything to know that he was here with her in more ways than one. All of the praise and exuberance he had, perhaps more than herself, went through her as they went into a room she was a total stranger in.

"Adrien! It's been so long!"

He stepped forward and shook hands with someone who knew his smile better than anyone. "It's only been a few months, Vincent." He clapped a hand on the man's back. "We have a different type of project for you today."

"I was told there was something special involving you and a new wardrobe." Vincent grabbed the bag and held the handles wide. His eyes critically narrowed as he took in the new clothes. "Just what is this? Is this Gabriel? It doesn't look like it at all..." A brow rose.

He reached in and took out one of the gloves, slipping it on with a grin. "It's going to be fun for me, that's what. Is makeup ready for me?" He asked as he looked around the small, bland room.

"For the last ten minutes. She's also slightly confused with the little info we received, just like myself. What are we doing here today?"

He stepped to the side to let Vincent see Marinette better. "You'll need to get details from the designer here. I'm just the model today." He took a step back, throwing the bag over his shoulder as if it were a heavy leather jacket weren't in it, and saluted. He gave her what he hoped was an encouraging look. "Come find me in ten once you give Vincent the rundown, Marinette."

She watched Adrien walk away as if he were well-aware of the routine, which he was, and left her with a professional photographer, on how she had no idea how to proceed.

This was it. Her line was sewn and Vincent was going to put together whatever she wanted him to after makeup was done. He said the crew might have an idea of what she wanted once she saw the clothes, but Vincent was going to be lost on what shots she was looking for.

"Sooo...Marinette was it?"

She snapped to and quickly reached her hand out to shake Vincent's. She gave her full name, letting Vincent give his despite having known of his work for years. He was the only photographer that Gabriel used for Adrien and it was just tradition now. She tried to abbreviate the whole situation, but it sounded weird if she kept out the real reason why they were all here today, so she ended up being honest about it all.

Vincent didn't look pleased.

"I suppose I should be so happy that I'm at least being paid per the gracious Monsieur for this..." He grumbled a little. A hand tapped his arm in his annoyance. "Have you done something like this before?"

"Nothing of your caliber and expertise, but I have been a designer for years with an art student using a high quality camera." She smiled, hoping to ooze enough charm to disarm his irritation.

Vincent scoffed and waved her comment off. "Child's play! This is the big time! Even if these won't go in a magazine, Adrien will still look like a million euro. I'll personally see to that."

Her smile widened. "I've got some ideas in the beginning, so I hope you don't mind my interference."

"You're not Monsieur Agreste; I'll need the info to get what you're looking for."

She nodded and looked the way Adrien had gone. "Let's go see what makeup has given us to work with."

The walk was short. The room in itself wasn't very big and the makeup area was only given a curtain to break up the room, and to allow Adrien to change. In less than a minute, she found him...and stopped in her tracks.

Eyeliner. He had on...eyeliner... It wasn't enough to make him look strange, but it highlighted his eyes and made them seem other-worldly...exotic. She had never seen him with anything other than basic concealer and maybe a tiny amount of mascara on a few occasions. He never did anything other than a natural look because it matched his father's line. Her heart wouldn't stop pounding as hard as it currently was and it was hard to catch her breath.

Apparently, leather demanded something more...interesting...

The hair? It fell in his eyes much like that day in Milan when she ruffled it with the shirt on. None of it was behind his ears like usual and they seemed to disappear. It hid the eyeliner, teased its existence, made the person want to peer closer at his face.

He looked dangerous. Bad. And it excited her.

"Well I was going to ask if that's what you were thinking of, but judging by how red your face is, I think they got it."

"What have they done to your face?"

She barely heard Adrien defend the makeup artist's job, along with the woman herself. He looked so different, like he had an alter ego he had just become. His transformation was unlike anything she had yet to see from him and she could tell right now it would complete the clothes.

"Earth to Marinette..."

She jumped and blinked. "Yea! What? No...maybe?"

He smirked and got out of the chair. "What am I getting on first?" He reiterated.

She quickly grabbed the boots, leather pants, and red shirt. She met his eyes and smiled a little. "No better way to set the mood. I hadn't made pants to go with this until now, so it's time to see the whole thing."

He took the clothes, feeling the weight of the leather, and smiled. "Vincent, I think we're going to need to cut the heat a little in here. I'm going to sweat out of every pore before we're done here if you don't."

The pair headed out so he could change, animatedly discussing what Adrien's makeup hoped to accomplish in the whole thing and how Vincent thought he looked too girly for it with his hair like that. In a moment, Adrien had everything on and she was circling him. "Yea..." She murmured. "This'll do."

"Enough to jump me?" He cracked, watching her stammer for a second.

They were covered by a curtain for privacy, but they might as well have been alone for how her heart hammered in her chest and her ears rang. Everything bled away as she took a step closer and stuck her hands in the back pockets. "Maybe when this is all over..." She murmured with a sly smile, slapping his butt like he did to her. She cringed when it made a much louder sound than she intended, and scurried out to Vincent, disbelieving of her own mood.

If he had any less patience, he might've said to hell with control, but he strode out and stopped under the lights. As it was, the leather wasn't heavy enough to hide any incrimination to what she could very easily do to him and that alone was going to take some serious discipline.

She looked at him behind Vincent's camera for a minute, watching him thread his thumbs through the belt loops as he waited for instruction. She let Vincent take a few shots of that before an idea hit. "Act like you do when you're about to lick me from the toes up." She spoke in Mandarin, ignoring Vincent's eyes and confusion.

Never had she been more thankful that he knew a different language than anyone else in the room! She didn't think such a thing would ever happen and all these shots would be ruined. "Bad boy" was the look she was going for and it wouldn't happen unless she said what needed to be said. Everyone was already disgruntled enough with Adrien Agreste's girlfriend using up their time for something personal and not involving them.

The look in eyes immediately changed to hungry, serious, intense. The practiced, casual smile dropped and his head tilted down as if she were standing in front of him already naked. One hand left the belt loops and reached out, turned, and threaded through his hair as if he were torn on something...or frustrated.

He was very good. She had seen that look dozens of times right before he made good on the intent in his eyes. The fact that he was looking at her the whole time had her blood racing and her thighs burning. The breath hitched in her throat and she thought all the air evaporated as he burned it up with those eyes...so much more dangerous than before...

"Oh...I like! Angle your head head to the left a few degrees. Good! Trail your fingers down the front of your face and look at the camera. Yes! Keep going down your neck and tilt your chin up. So terrible looking... Take half a step back and widen your stance just a little..."

His eyes found hers whenever he could while the flash brightened the room for another two minutes. The clicks sounded almost continuously, but she hardly heard them through the pounding of her heart in her ears. She couldn't move from those eyes alone that made her knees weak and make her wet. Her hands shook, but she didn't have the energy to move them and hide them from anyone else that may be watching her.

"That's good. Let's change."

She jumped and mentally shook her head. She headed to him and yanked him to the curtain, praying her face didn't catch fire. "If you look at me like that for the rest of the shoot, I'm going to do more than lick you from bottom to top, my lady..." He murmured in Mandarin.

Shaking hands thrust the leather jacket in his arms, face a tomato. "Th - this is to...help you l - look..more grown up..." She stammered in Mandarin. "S - so...keep up that l - look..."

"I'll need a little 'inspiration'..." He breathed, seizing the back of her head and locking lips harshly.

This was going to be the longest day he had turned her on and not done anything about it. She didn't know if she was going to survive this! This may have been a bad idea. She had already seen him in everything, but it was through a seamstress's eyes, not his girlfriend. She should have had sex with him before they left!

She stumbled back and let him pass, quickly following and scurrying behind Vincent as if for safety.

"Kind of a lot of leather, but the stitching is interesting. Let's start with the jacket down." Vincent looked her way. "Anything Adrien should do?"

She nodded. "Torture me." She said in Mandarin.

She was going to have to thank his language tutor if she ever met the person, because there was no way she could say things like that in French. She was happy that Vincent didn't demand French explanations for his benefit because she would refuse to repeat them.

The poses were erotic in subtle ways. The way he'd bite his thumb, the way his bangs fell over his eyes, the hooded look and half-closed eyes, the roguish smile like he was about to make her squirm, the confident way he stood.

She was glad she told him not to shave this morning.

It wouldn't have been the same. After this, she was going to hide his razor forever just so she could lick the stubble on his face and have him rub it over her inner thighs. The thoughts in her head made her want to relieve the pressure, but it was delectable to suffer through. He kept looking at her in a way that already had her naked and thrown on the floor. How she loved it!

Vincent's camera must have snapped what felt like over three hundred photos before the whole thing was over. She put the small amount of articles in as many combos to mimic as full of a spread as possible. She was only partially sad it was over. Time stopped, but it felt like the entire day was already gone.

Adrien called the pair to him when the photos were done. He idly looked through the mini screen on the high-tech camera halfheartedly, but his eyes kept looking her way. "Can you bring that to the editor, Vincent?" He quickly looked to his makeup crew. "Sorry to make you be on call for so long. Would you take a ten for me?" His hand plopped on her shoulder. "We also need hangers and a rolling stand. These are going right up to father for personal inspection of the cuts and stitching. Mind taking your break and then getting it?"

She wasn't stupid. Both of the employees were being sent away without either of them doing much in the meantime. He was going to release her from this torment and she was burning from the wait alone. She wanted to be mortified with two complete strangers standing amidst the sea of sexual frustration she had let him steep them in, but she was getting too impatient for that.

They headed to the makeup area with the pretense of getting changed. The second the door clicked shut and silence descended, he yanked her against him while shoving her against the flimsy table.

His lips attacked hers as much as hers did his. Her legs went around his waist, helping him to rock against her. His grip on her thighs was harsh, almost to the point of bruising her, but it felt so good. She tried to keep quiet, but his mouth helped steal the whimpers.

At least until he entered her.

She scratched at the sweater he had on and he left it there for his own protection. His hands found the back of her hips and he pushed against her without mercy, without patience. The table rattled on the verge of collapse for moments until she gasped and he threatened to knock everything onto the floor. He pulled out, hand already reaching for a Kleenex near her, and came into it.

They both panted, making a few flimsy attempts to kiss each other, before she weakly pushed him away. "I knew...it was a good idea...to wear skirts around you..." She breathed, breaking into giggles.

He smirked and went to take off his new line after having sweat in it for the few minutes of bliss they were in. "You have good insight, my lady. I commend you."

It was mere seconds after he stripped down to his underwear and was going for his regular clothes, while she had barely straightened her own, when the door swung open and voices came right after. She wanted to be humiliated that they had been caught before they were done, but felt too good to care entirely. It had been a stressful few weeks and he had looked too damn amazing the entire time. This might have been one of the riskiest stunts concerning him, but with the way they had been acting during the shoot, she wanted to believe that the two weren't impervious and knew what was going on.

She quickly hung everything up to busy her hands, and not have to look anyone in the eye, while Adrien let the woman take off his makeup and discuss their need to head upstairs to go through all those photos.

She groaned into the jacket before she hung it up. That was probably the worst part of the whole thing, but Adrien agreed to help with the selection process so that helped. Looking through photos might not have been something he was usually supposed to do on the other side of the camera, but she knew he had learned enough over the years to be a lot of help when it came down to the finer details.

They passed the clothing rack off on the two to be put somewhere for safe-keeping and headed upstairs. The ride up was mostly quiet, but not tense. Although she wanted to stand in his embrace the whole way up, she stood next to him and bumped shoulders every few seconds as the elevator jostled them. Thankfully they were the only two in the elevator because she still couldn't believe what she had done and didn't want to face the employees any more than she had after that stunt.

Looking through everything was annoying because so many shots were almost the same. A small angle of the chin, a raised arm, shift at the legs. The differences were tiny, but one had to prevail over the other and get picked. The sheer amount was only for the possibility of what the person in charge preferred. Unfortunately, she didn't know what she wanted out of the shots to that extent and had to shift through them all.

Had she known it was going to take almost four hours, she would've let the professionals do it.

"I don't ever want to do this again..." She groaned, rubbing tired eyes while he closed the files down.

"You'll be able to pay people to do that for you someday soon." He consoled, patting her on the back. He stood and stretched with a hiss at how stiff he was, stomach growling mere seconds later. "I'm starving. Let's go somewhere and celebrate a job well done."

"I'm almost too nervous to eat." She mumbled, drumming her fingers on the desk. Everything was to get sent to Monsieur Agreste asap for his final consideration. When he was done going through it all, they were to sit down and talk about his decision, and whether or not she had passed.

He pulled her up and gave a light hug. "You did a great job and somehow managed to last through that photo shoot." He faced her with an evil grin. "I never knew photo shoots could be so...enticing. Perhaps I'll need a summer line done for me next."

She gave him a dry look, but accepted the kiss. "Despite...that...I don't want to challenge your father to something like this ever again." She plopped her head against his chest and sighed.

Her stomach took that opportunity to chime in.

He chuckled, defending her swats and took one of the attacking hands. "Food. Let's go. My treat for all your hard work. And I won't take 'no' for an answer."

She shrugged before wrapping her arm around his with a smile. "A girl has gotta eat, I guess..."


	85. Breakdown in negotiations

It had been a tense wait. School had started, but Gabriel hadn't called or responded. When Adrien contacted Natalie for her after a week had passed, they were told that Gabriel was still "looking everything over and would get to them when he was finished with everything".

It was almost two weeks later when Natalie finally texted Adrien with a date.

"I wonder what the big deal is..." He grumbled as they got off the bus. He didn't like how the whole thing had progressed in a seemingly downhill turn...although it was fairly typical of his father... He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm sorry for my father, Marinette."

"It...it's no big deal..." She nervously mumbled, head down. She walked past him as he held the door open for reception. "It's been so long, it's almost anti-climatic at this point."

That didn't make it any better. It was almost impossible to get excited for her last semester before she graduated and studying was hard. She was too scared of getting that message to meet Gabriel to eat much. It was a fight a few of those earlier days to get something into her and some of those attempts were more for Adrien's benefit whenever they had dinner together, which was always, and he noticed how preoccupied she was.

One of the reasons he called Natalie in the first place.

She didn't know what to do now that she was here, waiting to have someone escort them to the meeting room that Gabriel had picked. Her mind was blank with no place to proceed. She was stuck in limbo until she sat at that big, expensive table, though she really didn't want to, and could move on from here. It had been a hard wait and she expected better than what she was going through right now. She knew that she had made something of worth, which was why she had a hard time with the waiting.

He watched her face the entire time they rode up the elevator. She was silent, but openly pensive. Her body language alone, the crossed arms and tapping finger, showed it. He mentally vowed that he was going to give his father what-for for putting Marinette through this whole ordeal if the review wasn't good...stellar even. There wasn't even going to be any contract signed over this; it was just a stupid instance that came about because of his father's stubbornness.

Natalie met them halfway down the hallway they stepped out into. The employee directing them stopped at a pair of heels clacking their way. "Good afternoon, Adrien." She nodded. "Your father set aside fifteen minutes for this. He told me to assure you that this wouldn't take long."

He scoffed and said something to Natalie, but she couldn't hear most of it. All she could realize was that she was allotted a paltry amount of time for what she considered to be highly important. She took pride in all her work and the man who built Gabriel, a man she had spent so many years chasing after in her own way, was barely giving her the time of day! It was something he had almost instigated, though she knew she egged him on a little, but this was definitely something she didn't start for her own benefit.

She jolted when Adrien suddenly squeezed her fingers and looked up to an encouraging smile and kind eyes.

"It'll be okay, my lady." He softly encouraged in Mandarin. "I'll be next to you the whole time."

She nodded again, her heart racing as the final door opened and the table she had recently been at came into view. It might not have been the same room, but it was the same posh expanse she sat at mere weeks ago when this all started. She squeezed Adrien's hand perhaps a little too tight as she inched in behind Natalie, his free hand giving her back a nudge.

Gabriel finally turned from the window he had been facing at their arrival. "Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng." He evenly greeted.

She quickly let go of Adrien's hand, though she felt worse off for the lack of contact. She flushed when he gave her a raised brow and hurried to the other side of the room. She watched Gabriel pick a chair and sat directly across him. She sat up straight, fingers entwined over the table as if to prepare herself for bad news. She had been for the last two weeks, but now she was here and she felt like she was floating in the deep ocean with nothing for safety behind her.

Gabriel opened a file that showed a small spread of photography prints. He didn't look at them after they were opened and pushed them across the polished surface with a finger. "Is this the type of work you usually do?" He asked, brow up.

Her back went straighter at the question. The tone wasn't highly positive, nor did he sound merely curious about it. The fact that he asked that after making her wait for weeks wasn't good. "Not...quite so much, Monsieur." She hedged. Her hands clenched as she looked to the photos, wanting to sweat under his gaze. "I made the line specially Adrien him going by his preferences."

"You have declared yourself a fan of this company for many years, correct?"

"Y – yes..."

Gabriel closed the file swiftly, an obvious annoyed look on his face. "I'm sure you must be lying then because those...things are hardly the type of clothing that my son prefers."

"I -"

"She's not a liar!" Adrien broke in.

"You look terrible." Gabriel pointedly continued. "Leather pants and gloves? Are these Halloween costumes? Ridiculous! Don't flatter her into thinking that these would have been okay to go in your closet. These make you look like a derelict of society!"

"I happen to like everything she made!" Adrien hotly threw across the table. "I've worn your line because I work for the company, but that's it. That doesn't mean it's 'my style'. I plan on wearing the leather pieces once winter hits. They're warm, the wind stays out of them, and they look nice on me."

"Don't be ridiculous. Do you think I'll give you that to wear after hearing such a thing?"

She had been silent during the whole exchange, mostly because she was too shocked to say anything in her defense, but, at the mention of the confiscation of Little Black Cat, she couldn't be quiet any longer.

"Actually Monsieur, if you DON'T give me back my line, I'll be forced to seek legal action for theft." She evenly stated, emotion melting off her face. Something in her head snapped and all sense of reason left as she met Gabriel's slightly incredulous gaze in total seriousness. When he said nothing to take back his words, she sighed and slumped in the seat a little. "While I might have participated in this farce of a challenge, coming out on top if I may, nowhere in this strange incident did I agree to hand over my sweat and blood when this was all over. That is my property until I pass it over to Adrien Agreste, who it is precisely tailored for and designed with his personality in mind. He is the sole owner of that line."

"You think you've come out on top? Pray tell, in what way?"

She sat forward, leaning her arms over the table, her pride rearing its ugly head. "I created a small section of my business, costing me my own money and time, devoted to your son and his qualities. I made no profit in it, save for any future advertising should I wish to branch out of my Ladybug. Unfortunately, it seems that there are some issues you have in noticing the change it brings out in him. If you don't, or can't, see them for yourself, there is little that I can help you with there. As you haven't already figured it out by now, your son does have things he likes that are not parallel to Gabriel's interests. I have witnessed many things over the months, which the public is not privy to, but I am. I didn't create something silly that would make him a laughing stock. He can, and has, pulled off such 'derelict clothing' as the pictures show."

"This is ludicrous! You think you know him better than his own father?!"

"Yes." She stated, not batting an eye. "As a fan of your company for ten years, I have been well-aware of your catalogs and what I thought was your son's personality. He, however, did a great job fitting into the mold of Gabriel while hiding who he really was for probably fifteen years. I have heard many sad things since I started going out with him that have opened my eyes to who he really is and I suggest that you do the same. Your son is not the child who used to live under your roof; he is an adult and if he wishes to wear leather of another brand, that's strictly his choice."

She didn't say anything out of malice, nor raised her voice during the verbal battle she suddenly found herself in. She met Gabriel's eyes the whole time, watching his grow wider as she spoke, as if no one had ever been brutally honest with him before. As if being the owner of such a world-wide company kept everyone cowering in his presence. While that part might have been somewhat true, she was not afraid of him as she thought she might have been...at least not anymore. Somewhere after stepping foot in his business for the first time, maybe winning that so-call challenge they agreed on, he had become just another rival brand that she couldn't lose to. His personality was no better than the assholes she had dealt with in business, but she dealt with him as she would any other lesser person.

She stood with a sigh, fingers lightly pressing on the table. Whether she had expected good news or not, she had her answer and was done here. She wasn't about to stay and be belittled by someone she didn't need to hear bad news from. "I have done as you wished and provided your son with a set of clothes that demonstrate my skills and my earnestness toward him. Your being proud of my work is a personal preference and I'm not going to force you to favor it. You're welcome to keep the photos, but I'll be taking the clothes back with me." She turned to Natalie, who looked outwardly stunned that such an occurrence was happening. "Please take me to my work so that I may take it home. I will need something to carry it in as well." Her eyes drifted to Adrien. "We're done here. Let's head back."

Adrien was too taken aback to do more than dumbly follow directions and pushed his chair back once he snapped to. He got one step away from the expensive table when his father shot to his feet and slammed his hands on the table.

"You have some nerve!" Gabriel nearly growled, leaning over the table a little. Irate blue met neutral blue. "I suggested my son stay away from you because you were a bad influence on him and this little challenge of yours doesn't really change my mind! You're rude and brash. I don't support you being with him anymore now than I did when I first found out about your foolishness."

Adrien took a step in the direction of his father, but she stopped him with a hand on his arm. He looked down to the top of her head, but she shook her head and stopped just a little ahead of him.

"I'm not too sure who is being more rude to whom right now. While I've done things that I now understand were bad choices, and it seems that the first error wasn't enough to help me learn from my mistake, we've both done something that we shouldn't have. I screwed up with the happiness of my relationship with Adrien always in mind. You, Monsieur, seemed to only be thinking of yourself and your business. You don't know your son and it seems it's been a while since you tried. Perhaps you should do spend some time considering him a little more and figure out what he likes before making assumptions. At this point in time, we're done and the two of us shall be heading back to the dorms. School has started and it's our last semester before graduation. There are much more important things we must do than argue with you for the next twenty minutes. If I remember right, we were only scheduled for fifteen anyway, so I believe our time is already up."

He felt her take his hand, though hardly heard her speak to Natalie nor feel his feet press onto the floor as he attempted to walk. Never in a million years did he think anyone would take on his father like Marinette just did and tell him off multiple times! He had hoped that his father would've commended her on her work, or at the very least, come out even on this. He didn't know what to expect out of this odd bet, but this wasn't it!

It was easy to say that he was more than impressed with how Marinette handled the whole thing. She could have bowed to his father under the icy stare he had given half of the "meeting", but she not only held her ground, she threw back plenty of things that had the man speechless. NEVER had he seen his father speechless! While Gabriel Agreste didn't talk that much, he definitely said what he wanted when he wanted.

He was mute the whole way to where his new clothes were kept, unable to help put things in bags to carry out. He stood as if in a trance while Marinette did all the work, Natalie leaving soon after with the mention of getting back to his father. He grabbed one of the bags when it was held out to him and felt her take his hand, tugging him for the way out in equal silence.

He finally found his voice once the early afternoon sun jogged him. "Are you okay?"

She stopped when he did, her arm pulling back a little. She looked to the sidewalk, finally sighing. She would have rather taken every final that was coming up soon without studying for any of them. "I...don't know what I expected, but I suppose it was too much of a hope to make your father find favor with me." She idly looked to the bus stop nearby, finding their ride already there. "I meant every word though and I won't go back on it. I only hope he finds out who you really are before he dies and all that's left of your family name are regrets and sadness."

He tugged her to face him, bringing the back of her hand to his lips with a light kiss. "Don't try too hard to change my father. I gave up shortly after mother left during my tween years to make him see reason. No one but him is going to change his mind so don't stress too hard if nothing ever comes from today's meeting. You did all you could do and that's enough." He held up the bag in his other hand with a smile. "Although, I am happy to finally have something that you made and it's my own brand name at that." His smile widened "I almost don't want you to publish anything on the internet."

She snorted and shook her head. "I make no promises on that, as every article that comes off my sewing machine is a source of revenue to me." She tugged them to the now empty bus stop, a smirk slowly forming. "Although, since I don't have any of those professional shots you did with Victor, we'll have to have you play dress-up with Juleka sometime soon."

"We can always have a copy of the spread emailed to you..." He replied, brows furrowed in confusion.

She immediately shook her head. "As I said, those photos are your father's. I no longer want anything to do with him." She frowned, eyes falling to the pavement. "It's kind of sad to end things in such a way, but I suppose everyone grows out of everything at some point in time."

He leaned over and gave a kiss to the top of her head. "Don't let it get to you. Like you said, we have our last semester and while I have no idea what will happen to me, you have a lot going for you. Don't let my father ruin your last few months." He gave her hand a quick squeeze as the next bus slowed in front of them and tugged her to the opened doors. "I say we head back to the dorms, toss this on the bed, and then head out somewhere for the rest of the day. A change of scenery if you will."

She plopped into the first empty chair and scooted over for him. "Hmm...lunch? This whole thing doesn't have me too hungry though." Her lips pursed. "Ah...shit."

"What?"

She looked his way with a cringe. "Well, I thought it'd be nice to hang out with Nino and Alya, but then I forgot that we've been too busy with all this to tell Nino what's in store next year for him..."

He matched her look, not wanting to bite the bullet and do it now anymore than he did weeks ago. Nino DID need to be told so he didn't stumble into this, but today had been so emotional that he'd rather put it off. "Ahh...that. I'll...I'll make it a point to talk to him about it next week or so. Since I was the reason behind all this, I'll tell him."

She didn't feel much better in letting him be the one to break the news of her idiocy, but she was also thankful he was going to do so. The thought of going over to tell Nino that his original suggestion which she agreed to was the snowball down the hill, made her want to turn her phone off for the next three months.

They stood and got off at their stop, getting all the way to his room without figuring anything else to do. She plopped the bag on his bed and stared at it. It had been a very random day...week...month. Now it was over and she felt like things could get back to normal somehow, but she didn't know where to begin. She stared at the bag when an idea finally popped into her head. "I think I need a good, long walk. What say we head over to the bakery for something?"

He grinned. "That has to be the best idea I've heard in a while, my lady."


	86. An unwanted meeting time

It was almost the middle of November when she received a text from an unidentified number. She would have ignored it, but the person at least identified themselves and kept her from immediately deleting it.

 _This is Monsieur Agreste's assistant, Natalie Sancoeur. Please contact me when you have a break in classes. It's important._

She was going from one class to another when the message showed up and was tempted to call the number listed, but didn't. She had heard nothing from anyone about anything at Gabriel and figured that, while she had stepped on his toes on the way out, she was done with Gabriel Agreste. Thus, it was severe confusion as to why his personal assistant was contacting her, let alone how Natalie got her phone number. Sheer curiosity made the second half of her last class hard to concentrate on. Wondering what Natalie wanted, what Gabriel wanted, kept roaming through her mind and made it difficult to think straight.

She warred with herself for the entire walk back to the dorms, but didn't call because she and Adrien were supposed to have dinner shortly after everything was done for the day and she was doing a lot of the prep work. Only when he was busy washing the dishes did she fake a text from her mother and stepped into her room so he didn't know what was going on. He had been involved enough and she didn't want him so distraught over his father ever again. Not to mention she didn't think he'd approve of her returning Natalie's call for whatever reason.

The phone rang only twice before it was picked up.

"Good evening, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng. Thank you for calling me back."

She leaned against the wall, already tired. "Why are you calling me? How did you even get this phone number?"

"Monsieur Agreste wishes to meet with you again. Soon."

A hand slapped her forehead, eyes sliding closed. Not good words went through her head for at least thirty seconds, but thankfully didn't escape her mouth. The back of her head lightly hit the wall, a sigh leaving her. "Why?" She finally blurted out, frustration and exasperation in her voice. "I have no more business with Monsieur Agreste. The fact that I'm dating his son is irrelevant to his involvement in our affairs and his participation isn't wanted."

"That is primarily why I am contacting you today, Mademoiselle. Monsieur Agreste wishes to sit with you and discuss a few things concerning his son."

She gave the window an annoyed, confused look. "The last time we 'discussed' a few things concerning Adrien, I ended up making a whole clothing line that he was openly disgusted with." She retorted. "Apologies, but I'd rather not have anything else to do with him if I can help it."

"He assumed as such. Monsieur Agreste wants to discuss nothing with your business, but rather get information from you about his son."

Her brow rose, but suspicion crept hold of her and wouldn't leave. "Why?"

"He will go over that further when you two meet. He told me to assure you such unpleasant things won't be repeated a second time around."

The hand holding her phone tightened in frustration. Natalie's tone didn't sound much more different than usual, but she almost detected a subdued vibe on the other line. She was almost insisting that this meeting would be much better...although anything would compared to that mockery. It was making her want to consider his request, which was the last thing she wanted. She had sworn off the man when she left the building and figured that they would never have anything to do with each other after that train wreck.

"I'm...currently busy with classes." She hedged, free arm wrapping around her torso in hesitation. "I don't know when I'll be able to sneak away. I also spend a lot of my free time with Adrien, as you know..."

"Monsieur is aware of your basic situation. He is offering to send his personal driver to pick you up and transport you here...providing a meal of necessary."

"Here?"

"At the Agreste mansion. Monsieur feels it would be a more personal touch."

She stifled a groan. "Why...why does he want to see me again after everything he's done?"

"He'll go into more detail when you two meet. What day works best for you?"

She rolled to the wall and lightly clunked her forehead against it. The phone dangled in her hand, any words from Natalie forgotten.

'Damn it, damn it, damn it!'

Why was she even considering going?! What perverse, insane part of her head was thinking it was even a remotely good idea?

After all that had happened with him, she couldn't believe that anything good could come out of this meeting. What was the point in going back to see him after he had already screwed her over and basically told her to stay away from Adrien?

" _After_ _you_ _ran_ _away_ _like_ _I_ _was_ _going_ _to_ _kill_ _you,_ _I_ _realized_ _that_ _I_ _couldn't_ _apologize_ _to_ _someone_ _whose_ _name_ _I_ _didn't_ _even_ _know._ _Is_ _it_ _too_ _late_ _to_ _start_ _over,_ _Cinderella?"_

Blue eyes opened halfway and looked at the wall. She had almost messed up an entirely good relationship because she was upset and ran away before listening to the back story. Something told her it would be unwise to refuse this.

She heaved a put out sigh before standing straight and slowly brought the phone her ear. "Alright..." She mumbled. "I'll meet him. But if he starts up with that stuff like last time, I will walk out and back to the dorms! I refuse to put up with that again."

"Monsieur Agreste has said the conversation will be civil. He is a man of his word."

She didn't know about that, but she didn't have much of a choice.

She spent the next five minutes figuring out a date that wasn't too far in advance and hung up the phone. Once this odd road ahead of her was finished setting itself out, she tossed her phone on the desk and stared at the door. It felt too weird to just go back to dinner like nothing had happened. Until she figured out what this new, mysterious meeting entailed, she wasn't going to say anything to Adrien. He had enough problems with his father and this was the last thing he needed. Not after the most recent headache they just got past. They were almost halfway through the semester and she wanted him to relax. Noel was coming up soon enough and she wanted to look forward to it instead of his father crowding their fun.

He had already stolen enough of it this year as it was.

She sighed and lightly slapped her cheeks. "No more of this, Marinette." She scolded. "Enjoy the rest of your evening and worry about that man later."

01010

Easier said than done. While it was only a few days to wait, it was almost impossible to concentrate on school. What did he want this time? Why did he want to talk to her about Adrien? Was he going to apologize? Admit he was wrong about her?

'Unlikely...'

After waiting basically a month since she told him off and left, why would he bring it back up? With a business to run, she doubted he'd have been so preoccupied with her words.

...Unless he WAS...

What other need was there to call her there, never mentioning Adrien going along? What did he need about his own son that he didn't already know?

Suspicions were roaming in her head the whole time she was in his plush vehicle on the way to the mansion. Natalie met her at the gate, making little small talk. She only sort of wished the woman would, but it would have been awkward either way. Just like the whole trip. From the moment she saw the driver a block away from the dorms, to sitting in cushy leather, she would've rather told the entire classroom of any that she was attending this semester that she owned her own clothing business and dealt with that embarrassment instead.

When Natalie opened the door, she was assaulted with the remembrance of her first visit here and couldn't move when her eyes found the room with the piano.

"Mademoiselle, is there a problem?"

She jolted to find Natalie almost in the center of the grand entrance, looking over a shoulder with a raised brow. "Ah, no!" She hurried to catch up, face warm and heart heavy. "I was...uh...just reminded of the first time I was here..."

She was glad no more small talk was made about a subject which had messed up the end of her summer vacation. She tried to will the heat from her face as she followed the clacking to a very tall door. She paused, almost running into Natalie in her mentally disheveled state, and her face flamed again when the woman turned to her and instinctively moved back when she was too close.

Natalie quietly cleared her throat and held the door open, other arm sweeping into the room. "Monsieur offered a meal for taking up your time. There are various desserts on the table. I will go bring him to you now."

She idly nodded and the door shut behind her once she cleared the doorway. She looked around to find the huge space a dining room, which was only apparent by the extensive table. Her eyes gravitated to the immense portrait over the fireplace and her eyes teared almost immediately.

It was the whole Agreste family, as small as they were. Adrien's smile was genuine by how it met his eyes and she remembered how different it was compared to the equally large portrait over the main stairs. He was still a boy, almost a teenager by his height, but he looked...happy.

" _I_ _don't_ _like_ _being_ _reminded_ _of_ _my_ _old_ _home_ _life._ _You_ _act_ _way_ _too_ _similar_ _to_ _my_ _father_ _and_ _I_ _felt_ _too_ _much_ _like_ _my_ _mother._ _I_ _didn't_ _like_ _it."_

0

 _"As you know, I didn't have a good home life."_

 _"I read the papers when everything hit. Do you...still miss her?"_

 _"I...I think some part of me wants to. She's my mother, but she left so long ago. I haven't had contact with her since the day she walked out first...it was like she disappeared without a trace. I doubt she's dead because father would have probably said something to me by now. I think at this point, I consider her more like a long, lost loved one: I remember the fond memories and I'd love to hug her again, but I know it won't ever happen..."_

"Mademoiselle, thank you for meeting me today."

She hastily wiped the tears when the door clicked open. She kept her back to him as she heard the clack of loafers stop barely within arm's reach. Her head ducked as she tried to take subtle, deep breaths.

"Are you alright?"

She exhaled and turned, finishing her other cheek. "Th - the...family painting..." She murmured. "I couldn't help but notice how...happy Adrien looked back then..."

Gabriel looked up, face almost emotionless until he sighed. "It's the only family photo with all three of us unfortunately." Gabriel looked down and clacked over to the table, hands lightly clasped behind his back. "Please sit."

She did as told, sitting near a beautiful, glass serving tray. She looked at the pastries, eyes thoughtfully narrowing as something in her brain tried to wake up, before a hand reached out and plucked a macaroon from the stack, eyes widening a little at a flavor she knew like the way back home. She directed the befuddlement at Gabriel.

He nodded. "You are correct; they are from your parent's bakery. At the risk of offending my personal chef, I didn't want to do you such a disservice and give you random delicacies after such extensive time in the business."

It was too considerate and she didn't even know how he had found the bakery, but figured for a man of Gabriel's influence and wealth, that was child's play. Why he would buy a selection, or probably have someone else do that...maybe Natalie perhaps...was beyond her grasp. It seemed too nice, too considerate. It confused her again and she wasn't happy about it or why she was here.

"Thank you..." She mumbled, offset at the gesture and his less-than-holy attitude. He seemed more subdued than the last time she had seen him, and his earlier promises went through her head. She didn't know how to take it and didn't trust speaking to him for the longest time.

"Why am I here?" She finally blurted out. "Natalie refused to tell me in the phone."

"She wasn't supposed to. That's what this meeting is for." Gabriel entwined his fingers together and leaned over his arms on the table a little. "I need information, Mademoiselle, and you are the best place to go to. Only you can help me on this."

"What...what are you talking about?"

Gabriel almost looked uncomfortable and she swore his face was tinged pink...even a little. He said nothing for a few heartbeats before clearing his throat and pushing up his glasses that already seemed high enough on his face.

"How...has he...been...?"

She sat there, just blinking in mute shock. She couldn't even remember to breathe and was thankful it was an automatic function or she probably would've passed out. "You..." She drawled. "Want to know how your son is doing?" A brow rose.

"To be frank, I thought about your words shortly after that day occurred. Add to everything that Adrien has only been accepted calls through Natalie since our...last meeting and has written me off entirely." Gabriel's eyes dropped to his clasped fingers. "His pointed silence the last month has been harder to bear than I thought. It made our last conversation easier to remember."

" _You,_ _Monsieur,_ _seemed_ _to_ _only_ _be_ _thinking_ _of_ _yourself_ _and_ _your_ _business._ _You_ _don't_ _know_ _your_ _son_ _and_ _it_ _seems_ _it's_ _been_ _a_ _while_ _since_ _you_ _tried._ _Perhaps_ _you_ _should_ _do_ _spend_ _some_ _time_ _considering_ _him_ _a_ _little_ _more_ _and_ _figure_ _out_ _what_ _he_ _likes_ _before_ _making_ _assumptions."_

This...this wasn't happening! She wasn't an errand girl for Gabriel Agreste! Although, even at the beginning of the year, it would've been a dream come true. Now, she felt like the image she had made of him had also been shattered with the realistic version which was much more distasteful. She wanted to leave every personae behind and let the man live his life as he had cornered himself into making.

But...she also did the same to Adrien and almost ruined a perfectly good relationship.

She sighed and put her head in her hands. Over half of her wanted get up right now and leave. She wondered if she would've even come if Natalie had been more explanatory on the phone. All the secrecy, intentional or not, made sense at least.

After long, slow heartbeats that felt like minutes, she lightly slapped her hands on the table and found him looking at her. She easily met his eyes, blatantly staring and looking for something she was unsure about. He didn't seem as haughty as he usually did. His shoulders seemed a little hunched over if she was seeing right. With his hair so light, he looked more like a lonely old man who had no one on his side.

She squelched a groan. He had made his bed long ago and didn't want to lie in it when he was now forced to do so. He was reaching out when the threat of true solitude awaited him. She wanted leave to him to it...but only the tiniest piece of her kept her in her chair.

Perhaps it was the great relationship she had with her parents. When she found out years ago that Adrien's mother had left, she searched for her mother shortly after finishing the article and hugged her as tight as she could. Knowing that Adrien had finally written off his father for the last safety of his own emotions and damned the man instead was hard for her to take. She could never do that to either of her parents; it would tear her up inside, but she wasn't in a place to lecture him. She had that stability and now she was the foundation between father and son.

This wasn't supposed to be her job as girlfriend! She shouldn't have to be here. The urge to leave was getting a little stronger the longer she kept silent. Gabriel needed a taste of what he'd put Adrien through for over a decade so he could see how horrible of a father he still was. He deserved everything he dished out and then some to make up for messing up his entire household for his business.

Gabriel finally broke their stare and looked to his hands. "I imagine what it sounds like." He quietly went on. "This wasn't something I wanted to happen. You're the only one I can think of to reach out to."

"You want me to be a messenger between you two?"

"Nothing of the sort, I assure you. I just wish to know that he's still attending class on time...making all his appointments...eating properly..."

"If he wasn't I'm sure one of your underlings would have informed you by now."

"Natalie might inform me of it yes, but I've always been able to personally talk to him about things whenever I called."

She sighed, running her hands through her hair in agitation. "At this point, he made it clear to me that he wanted nothing to do with you. Trying to direct his love life when you already broke up his family was the last straw."

"While such a thing might have happened, the end came about from a much more harrowing beginning than you know."

No...no, no! She didn't care to know either. She quickly stood, the chair screeching in the quiet and bouncing off the high walls in the room. "I read as such long ago in the magazines. I have places to be and orders for the holiday to do. You of all people should know the importance of getting your deadlines done."

Gabriel stood before she could take a step away. "Five more minutes of your time, Mademoiselle." He looked to his fingertips lightly resting on the table. "A basic synopsis of his month and I'll let you go. You may take the desserts with and it won't look suspicious about where you've been."

His voice wasn't openly desperate, but his insistence on the topic had her curiosity going up. He wasn't letting this, or her, go at all. It made her wonder if he loved his son more than he ever let on. As if it was something she could even ponder, since the answer had always been obvious.

"Do you love Adrien?" She blurted out before she could think.

"What question is that to ask a father about his only child?"

"Considering your behavior and how it's shaped your son over the last ten years, a valid one."

Gabriel sighed and took off his glasses, the free hand rubbing the bridge of his nose. "While it may not appear so, I have always loved my son. I have always and will always love my wife as well. They are all I have in this world."

Her eyes widened, mouth gaping open just a little. "If you're assuming what I think you are, Monsieur, then I also have some questions for you." She promptly fell back into the plush chair, leaning over the table with wide eyes. "Perhaps a chat is a good idea for both our sakes."

Gabriel sat down as well, expensive glasses going back on the top of his nose. "I will disclose as much as I'm able, but I ask that you leave her to her privacy. She might be upset if she has people knocking on her door for the same reason at this point in time. She still feels guilty and while I've done my best to reassure her, she can't bring herself to face him now."

Her fists clenched, heart racing and hope in her veins. Everything she felt mere moments ago was washed away with the stark need to know replacing it. "I'll go first and answer as many questions as you want so long as you tell me everything you know about Adrien's mother!"


	87. Stuck in between you

She ended up sitting in that chair for almost an hour, nibbling the random pastries from her parent's bakery as she learned more about the woman who was very much alive and had even lived in Paris for a number of years after she left!

It was a sad tale with something of an open end. Shortly after leaving, Adrien's mother had been so consumed by guilt after being out of the oppressive Agreste household and wanted to come back, but more out of the love for her son than for Gabriel. She sought help for almost two years, which Gabriel offered to pay for, and steadily did twice a week for an entire year. Being a model with past experience, she managed to land enough work for another year once she felt ready to do so in order to stand on her own two feet, also with the initial help of Gabriel. After finding her back in the world, the media hounded her for an interview for months to the point where she cloistered herself away in an house in a small town in France. She was still there even now, having gotten much better once the life of the city was lifted from her shoulders. She didn't dare leave the small, protected area for fear that things would start all over again. His mother followed Adrien's work and collected the magazines he was in and had for years.

"She feels like she's been away for so long now that Adrien wouldn't want to see her anymore. She's concerned and feels that she abandoned him and worries he'll say so. With all that's happened to her, she doesn't think she could stand the meeting with him going sour in such a way. She goes to therapy for her separation anxiety twice a month. She has asked me not to disclose any of this to Adrien for fear of his reaction and I have honored that for years."

She couldn't believe this! Never did she expect such a turn of events to befall her in a million years! While it was hard to imagine dating a rich, world famous model and then meet the creator of the family business worth billions, she was listening to private information as if the Agreste name was just any other! Sure everyone had problems in their life and Adrien was no exception just because he was rich, handsome, and famous. His family problems were only magnified because random strangers took interest in it, but she was getting every single tidbit that would never be covered in an interview and she didn't know how to take it.

How did her life tumble down the rabbit hole so far? She had tried to combat it by denying the road at every turn. Getting to know Adrien, going out with him, getting her business name out to the wealthy, and meeting his father. All within the span of a year!

Her head was swimming with everything. It was almost to much to take in. The worst part about the whole thing was she had to swear secrecy to Gabriel when she really wanted to find Adrien and disclose the village name right now!

Her head fell in her hands. She hadn't been this torn over something since being forced to choose Adrien over Nathaniel!

It was a matter of faith, of trust and bonding. She had told Gabriel that he didn't know who she was and if he would just sit and talk with her, as he made good on, he would see her differently. She had already done him wrong twice and needed to mend that; immediately spilling when he had tried not to do so for years would make her even worse.

She couldn't tell Adrien and she wouldn't. But she felt like such big news had to be spoken with someone. Someone who knew everything and could listen...although the "not doing anything" part she didn't think she could trust. That uncertainty held her back enough to quietly nod at Gabriel's insistence at keeping this a secret...as hard as it was.

"While I have often had the urge to tell Adrien, I have respected my wife's wishes. I don't want to damage all of the progress she's made over the years."

She blinked, a brow going up at a sudden thought she missed until now. "Don't you mean ex-wife?"

Gabriel's head shook. "We never divorced. Despite her discussing it for my benefit over hers, I refused." Gabriel sighed and looked to the picture behind Marinette. "After all that's happened, she's my wife and I still love her. I recognize what I've done to her and I've tried to help as much as I could to make amends, but the rest is up to her. While she lives comfortably now because of my business, such a hectic life made her run away in the first place and I won't make her come back to it after what it's done to her."

She swore she saw his eyes water, but Gabriel abruptly stood up before she could discern it. "My apologies for keeping you so long, Marinette." Gabriel's hands clasped behind his back as usual. As if he hadn't just revealed seriously personal information that she bet Adrien didn't even know. "At this hour, even with the excuse you gave, I'm sure Adrien may ask questions. It's up to you whether you divulge our meeting to him or not. I'll not hold your decision against you." Gabriel turned to her. "If I may...I'd like to find another break in your schedule to meet again. It's been fruitful for my sake to chat with you. I...apologize for my previous behavior."

She shot to her feet, eyes slightly wide, heart in her throat. "Me too!" She blurted out, leaning over the table. "I've done deplorable things for my own selfish reasons ever since I became connected with your family! I apologize for my terrible words."

"There is nothing to ask forgiveness for from me. Thank you for allowing me this chance to get to know you. You were correct; I didn't know know who you were. Perhaps, in our next meeting, you'll go over more of your business with me." Gabriel's hands came to his front. One hand pushed his suit jacket up just a little and revealed a sleek, discrete watch. He raised it to his mouth and his fingers pressed a button. "Natalie, we're done."

In less than two minutes, the door swung open and Natalie strode into the room, tablet in her hands as always.

She wanted to pinch herself! She had been so skeptical the entire time, but things had turned out better than alright. She almost wanted to think that she had mended all the broken bridges well enough to tread over them again. To have an ally to discuss fashion with so long as she merely kept him up-to-date on Adrien's life. It sounded like a dream come true...and too easy.

It was shady though and part of her wanted to tell him she couldn't continue. She had no right to be the messenger between father and son for however long Adrien intended on keeping his silence. Adrien was the one in charge of his life and he had made his decision. She knew enough that his distance was warranted, but not enough to lecture him on family.

She felt a little stuck. She made no immediate plans and skirted around any other meet-ups when Natalie asked her about her next free time. She gave excuses of homework, tests, and incoming Noel orders to get started on. Natalie quietly stopped her rambling by presenting a business card with her contact information when she was ready.

"You've helped Monsieur out more than you think. Please don't make him wait too long."

She nodded, lump in her throat as she headed out the front door. The grand entrance shut behind her without any farewells, but she couldn't make her tongue work to say them back anyway.

Her eyes fell to the flimsy card still in her fingers. She stared at Natalie's last name and the cell phone that was already in her call log. When that thought struck, she grabbed her phone from her purse to add to Natalie's contact details and found a few texts from Adrien.

 _Can_ _you_ _pick_ _up_ _some_ _chocolate_ _chip_ _cookies_ _before_ _you_ _head_ _back?_ _You_ _know_ _I_ _can_ _pay_ _you_ _back_ _if_ _you_ _want._

 _0_

 _Eta?_

She sighed, eyes squeezing shut. She had told him she was going to visit her mother about something Noel-related. He trusted her on her words and assumed she was happily discussing gifts or the upcoming get-together that she hadn't even considered with the last three months still not over.

She had outright lied to him. She didn't think he'd feel good about this since he had made his decision and might have stopped her before she could get in that fancy car of his father's. She knew she didn't like it whenever he was about to lie to her to spare her feelings. She hated liars and now she was one.

Tears lined her lashes. She felt like shit. Perhaps it was better if she had never shown up at all and kept things slightly hostile with Gabriel. She felt stuck in between two people she felt very differently on, but highly respected all the same. She didn't consider the ramifications of what showing up here meant. She was holding the scales of two entirely opposite sets of emotions and she didn't think she could do it. Not when they both knew of what was going on. The trays would swing wildly and she wouldn't be able to calm them down.

"Mademoiselle...are you alright?"

She jolted and hastily wiped her face, mentally berating herself for losing it in public. "I'm fine." She quickly insisted, hurrying down the stairs. "My apologies...Adrien sent me a text requesting something specific. Would it be too much to drop me off there instead of the dorms?"

"I think that'd be okay."

She rapidly buckled herself in and gave him directions to her family's bakery. She was happy he asked no questions about her behavior nor made any small talk. She didn't have the capability to do either right now with as muddled as she felt. Her head felt very much like the world passing them by right now: slightly blurry, busy, and full of things she didn't prefer to pay attention to.

She wanted to talk to her mother about this, but couldn't. While she knew her mother was always good for a ready ear, Sabine had no idea what had transpired the last few months and might lecture her on things she had no information on. The amount of back story that was required to bring her up to speed would take days. In this moment, she didn't think she was strong enough to listen to a hasty critique on past, bad actions without being overwhelmed by it all. The guilt eating at her was bad enough without anyone else adding to it.

She had known time and time again that Adrien wasn't normal. His last name alone was an indication to his family's status in the country. He hardly flaunted his wealth at all and acted like any guy around campus, but any time spent with him eluded to his fame. Women who knew nothing of him tried to get a date or even a picture with him. His stealing her away to Italy and initially getting away with it spoke of the power he held. Flying all the way to Berlin to sight-see for her benefit showed that he had more world experience than she already did...than she ever would.

A hand covered her eyes. She wondered if she would ever get used to being apart of his life. He had two aspects that didn't connect at the seams and she wondered which one was real. It was moments like this when she feared that she would collapse under a society she couldn't fathom. But...he would, as he already had, be there to guide and help her every step of the way. He put that faith in her and it was only one of the many reasons she loved him. He didn't let her fall. She would soon be where he was now, hopefully, and she could only pray she was prepared when that day showed up.

01010

"Mmmm...these smell soooo good."

Crunch.

"Ahm naht ruining mah dinnar." He insisted around a huge bite. The look she gave said she wasn't buying it.

She sighed, still too drained from the last few hours to put up a fight about him eating her parent's desserts before she could get anything made. "I don't feel like cooking today. Mind if we go out tonight? You pick; I'll pay."

A brow rose and he stopped with the cookie in front of his mouth. "Strike that; reverse it. What kind of gentleman pays for his lady?"

She headed for his door, lightly swatting him on the back of the head. "The one that isn't taking your euro for a small, simple bag of cookies. I'm going to go change; meet me downstairs in ten."

His head tilted a little. Odd... "Don't want me to come with you and help you pick something out?"

She sighed a little, fingers rubbing a temple. "Just humor me this once. You can see me naked later."

His hand wrapped around her wrist before she got too far. Her tone spoke for itself and his worry spiked. "Is something wrong?"

Everything was, but she couldn't tell him that. Nothing had been resolved during the drive and knowing she had her mother at arm's length made her feel somewhat guilty and sad. "I...just..." She turned to him, hand still against her head.

He put the bag down and lightly hugged her. "If you're not feeling well, we can order food. Just tell me what you need." He murmured, gently kissing the top of her head.

He smelled good and she breathed him in. The solid caring around her warmed her more than the winter chill trying to invade her room. She let him rub her back a few times before stepping away. "I guess I needed that." She smiled and pulled him down for a quick kiss. "But I still wanna eat out, so let's go."

"Fine by me, but I'm paying and don't think you're going to get to the bill before me."

She snorted, but didn't argue anymore on the subject.

She was mostly quiet on the short walk, her arm entwined with his. He would have been more concerned about her behavior had she not tugged him closely to her once they met outside. He wanted to ask questions at her silence and slight clinginess, but she never looked his way throughout the walk...even if she rested her head against his arm during a wait at a few of the crosswalks.

He wondered what had transpired over the last few hours between her and her family. She merely reported she was going to visit her mother about the usual end-of-the-year stuff and headed out before he asked to go with. He couldn't remember the last time he had chatted with Tom and Sabine and he missed it. They were great people and he was happy they were Marinette's parents. She left in a hurry and it befuddled him, but he let it go thinking she was late. He didn't want to make things worse for her.

They got all the way to the restaurant and seated at the table, but she was still oddly mute. He kept peeking at her over the menu, but she made no move to hold his hand nor start a conversation. There was a slight brooding look on her face that he doubted had anything to do with the inability to pick from a menu she'd seen many times before. It was starting to get to him and he was happy for a break in the tension when the waiter came for their orders.

She was glad when the wine showed up and didn't bother clinking his glass before she started in.

His brow rose as he watched her take a much larger swig than necessary. "Well," he began, "I had suspicions, but I didn't want to pry. Now that you just confirmed them, how about you tell me what's wrong?"

She finished off the glass, the wine taking almost an instant tug on her emotions and dissolved some of her worries as it burned down her throat. She stared at the empty glass, chin in her palm. "I forgot how much I like wine..." She side-stepped as she rotated the stem with a small smile.

"That's fine and all, but now I'm kind of worried. Did things go bad at your mother's?"

Her head shook. "There was no trouble. There never is. We'll be having the Noel party there like every year, although I haven't been in touch with almost everyone since the last one and...oh my god, I can't do this anymore..."

He leaned forward, fingers looking to find hers in a gesture of comfort and moving the wine glass that she dropped to the side. "What's the matter?"

She couldn't look at him and left her face in her hands. Tears lined her lashes as she mentally cursed ruining dinner and wasting such good wine. This was a bad idea and she should've spent a night alone instead to figure this out. Going out wasn't a good enough diversion from the afternoon, but they had ordered and she didn't want to run out on the chef. They came here too often enough for both of them to be unnoticed and she didn't want Adrien looking bad.

He rested both arms on the table, ignoring the other dining populace, and rested his hands on her arms. He tried to move one, but she was sitting at too awkward an angle to correctly do so. "Talk to me. Please. What's going on?"

She took deep breaths, not wanting to lose it in public. Hiding in the bathroom sounded like a nice idea, but the last time she did that on him, she fled the place entirely. At his constant touch, she mentally braced herself and looked up. "I lied to you, Adrien."

He blinked, a brow going up. "About...?"

"I wasn't at my mother's today. Well, I was, but I stopped over only to get you those cookies so it didn't look weird. I didn't leave for that."

The words popped out of his mouth before his brain could engage first. "This isn't about you cheating on me, is it?"

She stared at him in total shock before she hauled off and slapped a forearm. "No!" She glared. "Why the hell would you even think that?!"

He held his hands up in surrender. "Well, with the way you're acting...and it's not the first scenario I've endured..."

She looked at him for a moment, entirely stunned at such news. Her head rapidly shook. "No! No, you idiot! I would never! Don't think of such a thing ever again!" Her glare abruptly fell when the truth almost fell from her lips. She sighed and looked at the table cloth. She was quiet for heartbeats, still unable to look at him. "I met with your father today..."

He almost didn't hear her. He didn't think he did. It was such an odd turn of events that he would've never pictured with her. "Come again...?"

"He called me almost a week ago. Actually Natalie did to set up the meeting for him. I really didn't want to do it at first! The last thing I wanted was to be involved with him after...everything. She insisted your father would behave and I caved. You know me. I'm a big softie deep down."

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Damn it. Had I known he would've sunk so low as to pester you, I would've had it out with him once and for all instead of just cutting him off entirely."

She reached out and took his fingers between hers when Natalie's parting words went through her head.

 _"You've_ _helped_ _Monsieur_ _out_ _more_ _than_ _you_ _think._ _Please_ _don't_ _make_ _him_ _wait_ _too_ _long."_

"He...it...it's okay. Really. I didn't want to go and part of me still doesn't like it for...specific reasons, but...it turned out okay." She forced a little smile and nodded when a disgruntled look met hers. "He...believe it or not but...he just misses you."

He glowered at her. "PLEASE tell me you're not siding with him on this. That man has done terrible things to you! It was the last straw. I won't let him so thoroughly insult the one I love and get away with it. He might have abused me for years, but he won't do the same to you."

She clasped his hands and squeezed. "I know. I haven't forgotten. I -" She looked to the table with dull eyes. "This is kind of why I regretted going. I didn't want to come between you two. I only recognized it when I left though. He just...seemed much..." She paused, remembering his face and how he might have actually cried in her presence. The way he quickly stood up clearly said he wasn't comfortable with tears. "Quieter. Sullen. I don't know... I can't really describe it well. He was different from the last time I saw him. He was much more cordial. It was weird."

He sighed, face in his hands, head slowly shaking. So many things he wanted to say, most of them bad, but none of them would leave. He felt like openly blasting his father in public was a bad idea if only because it would come back to bite him in the ass later in the tabloids.

Thankfully, their food showed up and saved him the initial few moments of speaking, though it was tense the whole time. Most of his appetite had dissolved, but if he didn't eat now, a lot of the stores would be closed later on. He didn't have enough snacks stashed in his room because she usually made them something since she knew he liked her cooking.

She tried to wait for him to calm down, to say something, to look like he was feeling anything. His face was almost void of emotion, but she knew him well enough to see the choppy, rigid movements of his utensils and the tense line in his jaw. She mentally shrank away and ate much slower than he did, telling herself she had done something she knew he might not have approved of and was aware of it when she was in his father's home. She never asked his opinion nor inform him she was even going. Of course he was going to be mad. She hadn't thought far enough ahead to when she was going to tell him and just blurted it out in the worst way possible. She broke the news before she had fully processed where she put herself and now she was stuck here.

She fiddled with her fork, teeth biting her lip. "Adrien -"

"I can't believe you went to see him after everything he did to you!" He harshly blurted out, almost breaking the plate when he slammed his fork on the table.

She quickly looked around at the strength of his tone. "I'm willing to let bygones be bygones, Adrien." She mumbled in Mandarin, hoping he'd switch languages. The last thing she wanted was him ending up in any paparazzi magazine. "I was hesitant at first, but your father apologized and I accepted it. Of course I haven't forgotten what's happened! How could I? I'd never been treated that way in my entire life!" She sighed and rested her fork limply in her hand. "I apologize for lying to you. I felt like I had to go after I agreed, but I knew you'd be mad. Had I been honest, you would've probably stopped me from going. I just..." Fingers rubbed her temple. "I know I messed up. I did something that I personally hate and didn't like whenever I knew you did."

He watched her fidget and hide her face in her hands. He swallowed his emotions toward his father, what he realized he was projecting onto her more than genuinely being mad at her, and extended a hand across the table again. "I'm more mad at my father and all he's done yet again to me, to you." He mumbled in Mandarin. His heart dropped a layer of anxiety when her fingers slowly laced through his. "His apology isn't enough to me this time. He almost tried to separate us. He already broke my house into pieces. I won't let him do so with you. For now...I'm done with him. I have no desire to talk to him until I can forgive him."

That may or may not be long though. When he got upset, he usually got over it fairly quickly. She had never seen him this upset toward anyone, however, and wondered how long this silence would go on.

Would Gabriel contact her the entire time?

Considering how Adrien had blown up over the whole idea, going again didn't seem rational. She would be an idiot to go ahead with a second meeting...but part of her still felt compelled after all she had learned today.

She was going to need time to figure this out. The problem was, she didn't know when she was supposed to scrounge that up with classes, Noel orders, and an upcoming get-together in a month!


	88. The real reason for the upset

The rest of dinner was really quiet and they headed home shortly after finishing. No loitering around and chatting about the day or having that extra glass or two of wine with a shared dessert like they always did. Speaking about the day had created the problem and she was kind of glad they were done.

He suggested that they sleep in their own rooms since he didn't want to say something and hurt her more than he knew he already had. He felt bad, and needed to cool down by himself for a bit. She agreed, mostly to use the silence and figure out what she wanted to do next. It was cold and lonely in her room, but she forced herself to use it to her advantage.

While the obvious choice was to text Natalie and tell her that she couldn't make a second appointment, she held back. The afternoon ran through her head as she idly went through her online orders. The conversation had been pleasant enough, despite the topics. Gabriel didn't make things too awkward for the time she was there and, dare she think it, was actually approachable. That submissive part of him made her unable to reject his emotions. The humility and straightforwardness that he didn't give to his own son...

When she thought it over enough, she could see the logic in what Gabriel had done. He was a lonely person who had not been able to be a father in a long time and his last remaining family member was suddenly distancing himself. The vacuum was most likely uncomfortable and unbearable in its own way. After dealing with it for a few weeks, Gabriel sought out the one person he knew harbored positive feelings toward him...more or less. On at least one occasion, she had gushed about him to his face and he remembered it. With Natalie relaying business matters as the primary mode of connection, she was the only one who spent the most time with Adrien and Gabriel knew this.

A feeling of being used suddenly crept over her. A man talented and smart enough to start a business and make it so famous of course was crafty enough to utilize all his resources. He had no need of her to tell him about his own son, which she knew very well he had the professors of ISC in his back pocket and plenty of executives and drivers to get reports from.

Irritation burned in her chest and she ended up pacing her room, hands lightly clenched behind her back. She had thought he just missed his son, but now she didn't know. He contacted her because she was the obvious choice. She went against her original response at Natalie's prodding and saw for herself that Gabriel could be cordial. She thought he had changed, but it WAS just one meeting.

She stopped and looked out the open window to find Adrien's light off. She didn't know why she expected it to be on with him looking out the window while she agonized and upset herself over this. Probably because he had done so in the past, but it was late and they had classes tomorrow. He wasn't okay with what she had done and he went to his room so neither of them said things they regretted. Looking to involve him in this moment was a bad idea when she wasn't outright slandering his father like he was ready to do.

She really should be smart and get to sleep or she was going to be in trouble, but looked to her phone instead. It was late, but there was a possibility that if she sent a text, it might be responded to. It wasn't quite midnight yet and all workaholics, along with their poor assistants, were bound to be awake.

 _I_ _would_ _like_ _to_ _find_ _a_ _time_ _to_ _meet_ _with_ _Monsieur_ _Agreste._ _Adrien_ _wasn't_ _happy_ _about_ _everything,_ _so_ _I have a_ _small request from_ _Monsieur._

Less than ten minutes later, her phone dinged.

 _What request are_ _you_ _talking_ _about?_

Teeth bit her lip, fingers hesitating for a moment before biting the bullet and figuring he could always say no...

 _I'm_ _thinking_ _I_ _would_ _like_ _to skip my_ _last_ _class_ _of_ _the_ _day_ _and_ _meet_ _him_ _so_ _Adrien_ _isn't_ _aware. We spend our evenings together and it'd be hard for me to get away a second time without being suspicious._

 _Monsieur_ _is_ _busy_ _for_ _the_ _next_ _few_ _days._ _He_ _won't_ _be_ _able_ _to_ _do_ _anything_ _if_ _he_ _will_ _even_ _agree_ _to_ _such_ _a thing._

It was a stupid and mostly pointless move. It wasn't like she had never skipped class before and she had a feeling Gabriel would be in meetings all day with his entire staff there to work at a common hour of the day. That hour would be good because she knew Adrien would be in class too, but they often walked home when they were both done and got lunch. So long as there were no quizzes or tests that day, she didn't mind leaving, but Adrien would probably still find out.

"God, when I even think it, it sounds totally stupid!" She moaned, hands gripping her hair.

Whether she skipped class or not, she was going to go again. Questions were starting to form with no answers to back them up. It was making her feel bad, upset, and irate. She was imagining things and situations that may or may not be true. If she was just a gateway for Gabriel to get information about his son because Adrien didn't want to do it himself then she was going to give Gabriel an earful. She wasn't an errand girl; she was busy with classes and her business! It was almost December and the end of it was mere weeks away! She had final exams during the middle of the month and then she was done with school entirely.

But, Gabriel sounded genuinely thankful when they talked and it was the main component that led her to think he had humbled himself enough to noticeably change. It seemed a second talk was necessary to get more information and figure out if he was worth upsetting the calm she had regained after the bet was over. Merely asking how Adrien was doing couldn't be why he was calling on her to visit him.

Fingers pinched her nose with a sigh. Calm down...she had to keep calm about this or she was going to hate him all over again. "Get answers from him at the next meeting..." She mumbled to herself.

For now, she needed sleep.

01010

It was four days later and almost eleven in the evening when they sat at that huge dining room table again.

"Thank you for agreeing to see me so late, Gabriel." She murmured around a teacup. "I wish to keep Adrien out of the loop after the first issue we had." She winced a little. "He was...more upset about what I had done than where I said I was supposed to be. I don't want to worry him again like I had that night."

"Understandable, Marinette. I left it up to you to inform him what went on. I surmised he might react badly."

She slightly glowered over the rim. "That's an understatement, Monsieur..." She tried not to break the fine china they were using and put it back on the saucer delicately. "Last time, you mentioned that we may discuss fashion. I assume that's what the tablet is for," her eyes darted to its existence near his arm, "but I have other questions aside that topic." Fingers clenched around the handle a little. She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. "Why am I here?"

"I believe we discussed that already."

"A thought occurred to me after that day. An intelligent and resourceful person such as yourself doesn't need the base opinion of a girlfriend who knows whether or not Adrien eats dinner and does his homework. You have people you can go through for that." She let the cup hover near her mouth. "So...what's the real reason?"

Gabriel sighed and looked to the green tea she had brought in the expensive ceramic ware. "While you are correct on those points, the reasoning is more complex than what you're eluding to." He quietly cleared his throat before slowly going for the tablet. The screen took his eyes, but not his full attention. "I never managed to have a frank discussion about this and I also hoped to clarify myself since that meeting."

She looked at Vincent's photo shoot meeting her gaze. She idly picked up the thin device he handed out, scrolling though only a few shots before looking up. "What's there to go over? You were very clear that you hated my work." Her brows furrowed in confusion and remaining hurt.

Gabriel's thumb and index pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked uncomfortable all of a sudden. "My feelings toward your designs stem from much more...protective instincts than you are aware. Unfortunately, I didn't get to that part in the meeting before things went sour." Gabriel took the tablet and scrolled through until he stopped at the photo of Adrien wearing the leather jacket, eyeliner, and a dangerous look. "I was not ready to face such a thing."

A brow went up. "Black leather?" She pondered, eyes on the photo she could easily see.

"I thought I would have seen my son, but nothing here resembled him at all. I wasn't prepared to face the person you made him out to be."

She blinked before the light bulb finally clicked on. Her mouth slackened a little in shock that such a personal, outdated idea prompted a rich business owner to say such things about work that was of actual quality.

She couldn't held but smile a little, head shaking in disbelief. "Whether you like it or not, Monsieur, your son is a man now. He's not ten years old anymore." She looked to her cup that was still warming the fingers gently cradling it. "Although...I do understand such a sentiment after having heard it for a long time from my own father." Her smile widened as fond memories of her father's irate mustache twitch filled her head. Of brown eyes that sometimes saw her waddling around in diapers in his memories.

She lost herself to her own past for a few heartbeats before finishing the last good drink in her cup. She filled it from the awaiting pot on its warmer before bothering to look at him.

"I don't understand the protective nature of a father toward his only son, but I have observed the style you gave him over the years. Such an instinct has shaped your company, but not your son. He has still become his own person while your head was turned away. I have watched him for a long time, through magazines and photo shoots, and I was also disappointed at who he really was...at first. As you can figure out, we found favor in each other to be where we are now. I made that line going by what he has shown me day in and day out for over six months. He easily pulls it off as you can see."

Gabriel sighed, looking slightly disgruntled with the photos all over again when he looked at them.

She leaned over the table a little. "Is that what the whole outburst that day was about? Because I took your son and made him into a man that you had never bothered to truthfully look at before?"

Gabriel gave her an irate look. "I am aware that my son has come of age and I have been informed many times in the past concerning his dating exploits. This though...this made me wonder just whom I had been interacting with over the last five years."

She looked to the shot that Gabriel had stopped on. Adrien had the red shirt on, along with the leather jacket that was half zipped. He was in the process of undoing it the rest of the way, giving a look through wild hair that was meant to turn her to jelly behind the camera...as she had asked of him. He was sexy, smoldering, definitely a man of experience.

"And THAT'S why you asked me to meet with you?" She surmised, brows furrowed.

"Your observations seem to have much more information than he has never wished to bring up with me. I wanted your details on a person it seems I no longer know."

How...sad. For the last two family members who should have bonded together after the other fled, fell apart instead. It was a flip of a coin really. She supposed that, given Gabriel's work tendencies, it was no surprise that Adrien saw the brunt of the remaining solitude with his mother not there to buffer the loneliness and acted accordingly.

She wondered how much Gabriel actually felt like he was a father. She tried not to pry into Adrien's past because she knew how painful it was, at least partially. Asking such questions to someone on the other side of the fence was painful instead of inquisitive. She always knew what good parenting looked like and had no idea what bad families did with each other.

Perhaps she could press her luck and know right now.

"Perhaps I didn't make a mistake coming here a second time after all..." She murmured around the rim of the cup. She took a long sip, trying to formulate the first of many questions she wanted to ask. "I was worried and concerned for myself with Natalie's persistence. I was confused as to the role I was supposed to have. Had you been this forthright a month ago, you might still have your son, but a little better at that." She gave a slightly sympathetic look across the table, meeting irritation. "I will tell you what you wish to know, but I also have things that need answers as well."

"Such as?"

"If I put any other model head on there, is it then a valid line?"

Gabriel tilted the tablet and scrolled past the darker colors of the fall look. "Even a handful of pictures in, I can tell the details in the cuts and coloring." The tablet lightly clacked as it was put back down, blue meeting blue. "You have talent and I will admit that I searched your website once I knew it was there. Your color choices are interesting and your sense of style unique. It is different from my company's, but that doesn't make it bad."

If she had known any less about him, she would've floated out of her chair and through the ceiling at those words. Three months ago, a year even, such distinct praise would have had her squealing like an idiot in front of him. But after the bet, the meeting, and the jail threats, it was like the surprise was ruined. Still, it felt really good to hear that from him.

"You've seen my site then...?" She asked, teeth threatening to show in her happy smile. "Which line year interested you the most?"

Gabriel went back to his tea as well. The anxiety of trying to get a continued meeting melted away a little at discussing something that he nearly breathed for twenty years. "Last fall was a good selection with the sweaters. Your spring collection three years ago was also nicely cut. It did well to match the weather we had, along with possibilities for global use."

She nodded and the two of them quickly delved into an easy gray area for probably fifteen or twenty more minutes. She had long envisioned such a conversation, but never thought she would be so calm during it. She didn't get as excited as she thought she would be, but she had imagined such a thing since she was maybe fifteen. Maturity had well set in by then and she was thankful. She probably wouldn't have been able to enjoy such a chat otherwise. Not with the calm and poise leaking out of her like it currently was.

Gabriel smoothly blended the topics into that what he wished to know more about. He asked about Adrien's opinion on a sleuth of things that Gabriel either didn't know about or didn't get to know. It led to the Milan incident somehow, but she boldly went into the summer and discussed what he wanted. She apologized again that she had forced Adrien to play his hand against his father. Gabriel sidestepped her regret by asking what they did, more or less, when PR returned to Paris and how they ended up in the tabloids. She gave as much as she could get out, leaving out quite a lot of unnecessary details. He was smart enough to read her flushed face and let her describe what she wanted without asking any other questions.

She was in the middle of going through her recent dinner with Adrien dinner after the night of the first meeting with Gabriel when the tea was finally out. "I'm not too sure he intends on contacting you anytime before Noel is over." She finalized, shaking the empty pot to get the last drops out. She put it back with a frown and wrapped her fingers around the cup with a sigh. "I've spoken with him and he acts almost like he always has around me, but he doesn't fool me. He's still upset by what I did and that's why he slept those first two nights in his own room. That has stopped, but I get the feeling he's at odds with this. He doesn't want to be mad at me, but there is a bit of resentment there..."

Gabriel sighed and put his now empty teacup on the saucer. "His stubbornness has been something I've seen too much of at times." He agreed. "If it becomes such a headache for you, I'll step in and have a discussion with him about it." Gabriel shook his head. "No. I suppose I should have done that a month ago, but it's difficult to make time for someone I never really raised."

She gave a noncommittal grunt. "It may or may not be too late to make something with the rest of your son's life. That's up to you. I will be honest with Adrien myself if he asks again whether or not we've been meeting. Tonight was to discern a few things for my own benefit, but I didn't want to get him more worked up than he already was. I'll be able to take care of it if things get to that point." Her lips tilted. "I'm sure he might be flattered to know you still thought of him as your little boy."

"Your joke is in poor taste." Gabriel groused.

A sudden dinging sounded from across the room to a grandfather clock against the far wall. The pair sat in silence, both mentally tracking the hour to find it already at one. Gabriel was the first to stand and pull his cell from his suit jacket.

She also stood, not imagining she'd be here this long. The talk had gone much longer than she figured and she had class in the morning. Not that she was immune to being up so late, but it was the end of November and it was going to be crunch time soon.

"The driver will be in the front in a few minutes." Gabriel reported, the phone going back to its resting spot. He looked at her, the barest traces of a smile breaking the silent monotony of his face. "Thank you again for your time." His hand stuck out. "I didn't think I would enjoy such a discussion of a business I know like the back of my hand. It was...refreshing."

She smiled and clasped his hand. "I had always wanted to talk fashion with you, Monsieur. Thank you for making that dream come true."

Gabriel's smile widened a little more before he took his hand back and turned. "I'll see you to the car."

Natalie had met her at the door when she arrived with farewells as she left for the night. It seemed better for the owner of the house to personally see her to her ride though and it was nice.

The breath fogged around his face as Gabriel opened the car door for her. "Natalie will be in touch, Mademoiselle. I wish to meet you again. This has turned out more enjoyable than I had originally anticipated."

She winced a little. "As you know, I'm a small business with only myself. Noel orders have already started in and this is my busy season. My time is unfortunately highly limited and almost nonexistent. Sleep is a commodity I will lose soon. Not to mention finals will be upon me within a few weeks. And this is my last semester before graduation."

"Once or twice is all I require for December. I will also be busy for similar reasons with the next season's catalog."

She nodded and stuck a leg inside, head dipping around the frame. "I'll see what I can spare around school and Adrien. Good night, Monsieur."

"Good night, Marinette."


	89. The last semester

Noel was about spending time with loved ones, exchanging gifts, enjoying the holiday freedom, and the ability to be together.

Unless you were the boyfriend of a retail business owner.

He had never really enjoyed the holiday much because he had no one special to spend it with. Last Noel, he had a party with friends which he hadn't enjoyed in years when he had one in Milan. It was great and he looked forward to having one with his girlfriend, to open her gift and laugh with her and be close. It made him wish more than before that it snowed just a little more than normal. The weather needed to be nippy cold on his nose so he could enjoy his hot chocolate to the fullest, but he had forgotten who he was dating.

Once December reared its ugly head, Marinette all but kicked him out of her room so she could work...spouting apologies and reminders that this was a chunk of her living wages. He ended up sleeping in his room alone again, to a cold bed with no one to keep him warm. Nothing to be sexual about that sad thought; he just liked cuddling with her and having his arm around her. She was so small and he was so much bigger than she was. It made him feel like he could protect her when she was very capable of taking care of herself.

It slightly returned to like it was during the first year: she did school work until the sun set around six, then worked till about two in the morning before crashing for a paltry amount of sleep for another long stretch. She left her shades open, more for his sake than forgetting to close the curtains. Over the last year, her open window had become more synonymous with her being available to him when she couldn't be near than actual forgetfulness. It was a huge chunk of history between them and it was nostalgic now that he was back to it.

He took a small break from studying for finals to watch her work like he used to, missing her nearness and wanting to be next to her, but knowing she'd say he was in the way...even if he tried to curl up on her bed. He knew he'd get bored easily and look to her for interaction, so stayed away with a pout. In the meantime, he contented himself with the short distance, knowing it would be only a few weeks. As much as they'd been together until now, he could survive somehow until Noel hit.

On the days he stayed up till almost midnight with her, his black-out curtains also open, he hunted on the internet for a suitable gift. It would be hard, but he seriously considered getting her a more powerful sewing machine for the longer road with the end of college only a month away. He didn't know how attached she was to her current machinery, but it wasn't like he was asking her to throw away the old one. Having two might just be an asset for her...although he was clueless as to how. He couldn't remember what the one she had now even looked like or how versatile it was. He didn't know what was good out there and reading online reviews didn't mean anything to a professional seamstress. While asking her would be the fastest way to figure it out, he didn't want to ruin the surprise. Thus, he was stuck with no one else he could go to for now.

God, how he was so bored with so much less to do compared to her! His exams were going to be cake and he might actually feel like celebrating if he wasn't probably already enrolled in Marinette's program once the spring semester hit in January. He didn't really care if he was graduating ISC with high marks or not because he never chose to be here in the first place. The only reason it was fun was because she was here. Once she left, life was going to be hell.

She had to leave the dorms and would probably go back to her parent's house and old room. She had talked a bit about finding a small place, but knew she'd annoy others on the other side of the walls with this kind of hectic schedule. At least for now, she could work on her business with her parents almost two floors down and not worry about waking them if she pulled hours like these at their house. Her parents would be gracious and also accept her back with open arms for whatever she wanted to do. It was nice and he was envious.

She had dreams, unlike him. She was so much more amazing because she was getting so close to achieving them. He had nothing big to work on because he was born with advantages he didn't have to work for. It was too easy. There was no puzzle to figure out, no big mystery to explore. He didn't have to struggle for money and all those years of early tutoring from Natalie had made him smarter and smarter than most. There was nothing to learn in college because he had been in the trade for so long he was almost an asset to the teachers for examples. Life was dull and he hated going back to it while she went back to what she had been doing when she first arrived: living without any knowledge of him.

He sighed and rested his head on an arm, the sideways view of her taking up his vision. He missed talking to her. She was always to much fun to tease and flirt with. Those reactions made him want to keep it up until she was red in the face and upset with him. He smiled and imagined he was in her room, chatting with her while she kept buzzing around like some bee as she flit from one spot in her room to the next.

At least until her light suddenly shut off and threw him back into his own room.

He abruptly sat up and stared at the clock on his desk nearby, finding it barely past ten in the evening. His brow furrowed. Odd...she never went to bed so early and the post office had been closed for hours. He wondered if her light went out and pondered going over there, but it wasn't like he had spare bulbs on hand.

He waited to see if her phone would light up and she called him over, but ten minutes passed with nothing.

Stranger and stranger...

He wondered if she was so tired that she just wanted to go to sleep early for once and figured it a possibility. He had personally seen what she did to herself from time to time whenever she really got into a project. It was a feat in itself that she didn't put herself in the hospital and the thought alone made him shiver with worry and annoyance. He had watched her for over a year during the holiday rush and saw just how long she worked into the night during this month. He lost a lot of sleep because of Noel issues as well. Even going to bed much earlier than her still had his head in a fog and he snapped at his classmates more than usual. She had finals on top of all that.

No...he would let her sleep. He could check on her light bulb later, if that was also an issue. She had a lot of work to do and December was almost half over. She had exams coming up very soon and he wanted to make sure her nights were free for work so she got both done.

01010

"I'm thinking of having the party here again this year, but I know you already assumed that."

"I did. I'm not too sure why you're still asking after all these years."

She smiled and sipped her tea for a second. "Aside from raising me to ask for everything I wanted, I had a few new people to add to the mix." Her eyes shot to his for a moment before looking back to her mother. "Old classmates if you will. I hope that's okay."

His mouth dropped open when her words hit his brain and he looked between the two of them. She wouldn't...

"I suppose that's okay. Have I met these classmates of yours? Are they recent?"

"OLD classmates...from a long time ago." Her hand waved in his direction. "They also happen to be Adrien's friends."

Sabine met his eyes with a smile. "Friends of Adrien's are friends of yours? That's nice. Have you discussed it with them yet?"

She cringed and fiddled with the handle. "Not yet... I have a feeling one of them might say no, even though I know she'll be free. But, I had a few reasons to include her, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity."

He barely felt the heat of the teacup resting against the pads of his fingertips. He knew the two of them had gotten along at some point, but to invite her to the Noel party? Was she trying to get on Chloe's good side for a specific purpose?

'A few reasons, huh? I wonder what they are...'

"I can vouch for one accepting." He offered, meeting her eyes. "But you'll have trouble getting her to accept coming here. After all she's done over the years? It might be hard to get her to swallow her pride."

She pointedly cleared her throat with wide eyes, trying to get him to shut up without kicking him under the table. A lot of what Chloe had done in the past never made it home and with it being so long ago, she hoped to keep it there. "I would leave that up to you, but I think I'd like to ask her personally...being the hostess and all that."

"Are you sure that anyone else will want to show up?" He asked, brow going up. "I think Alya's head might explode a little from what I've heard."

She snorted, but cringed a little at the thought of mentioning to Alya that she wanted to invite Sabrina and Chloe. "I'll run it by her to see what the others would think. We weren't all on the best of terms during the school year, but that was a long time ago. Bygones and all that." She forced a smile, hoisting the teacup in the air as if to prove a point.

He really wanted to ask her just what she was planning by asking Chloe and Sabrina to the Noel party with her group of friends, but not with her mother next to them. He couldn't fathom that party going well by any standards and wanted to convince her from contacting Chloe, but he was curious as to why she would do so. What could she possibility be looking to gain? If Chloe was the tyrant Sabrina and Marinette had described, and all of her friends went to the same school with Chloe, no one was going to want her there with the bad memories still etched in their hearts.

They spent the rest of the hour snacking on fresh croissants and other baked cookies from downstairs that Sabine assured were going to be thrown out because they were too old to sell to customers anymore. He thought she was fibbing because not only did they taste amazing for "being old", their bakery never kept hold of anything that long to let it turn stale. Sabine was just being a great mother and providing treats to them as she usually did whenever they came over. She must have been made aware of his sweet tooth and was doing well to accommodate him.

That though certainly helped him accept a small bag to take back to the dorms with them.

They crunched by a small layer of compacted snow on the way to the bus stop, the small paper bag crinkling in his new leather gloves. It was yet another reason why he wished so much that snow and the cold would show up: he could finally wear his new line in public. He was plenty toasty with his new Little Black Cat leather and was only slightly embarrassed to show it to her mother...knowing what it did to Marinette anytime she looked at him with it on. He let Marinette be in charge of detailing to Sabine how he came about such finery.

"So...Chloe, huh?" He bridged, looking her way. Blue eyes darted his way through her gloves covering most of her face, breath puffing past the creases of her fingers as she tried to warm her hands. "Can't say I see the logic behind it all, but it's up to you, my lady... If you need my help, just let me know and I'll do what I can."

She looked back to the small crowd and winced at how full the bus was going to be back to the dorm. They could just walk, but she was already cold with the weather as low as it was now; she wasn't going to make it the whole way back. Winter always did have a tendency to drain her bank account with travel...

"I'll need her cell number from you so I can get in touch with her. I'm sure that Sabrina is busy with her work and I don't want to bother her just for that. Plus, I suppose I should put it in my contacts at some point."

He looked down at her again, finding her gaze ahead of them on the masses they were nearing. She was perplexing him the more she kept talking about contacting Chloe, but she wasn't too forthright with exactly why. He felt like there was something under the surface, but she wasn't giving details and he didn't want to pry. He wanted to, oh how he wanted to, but held himself back...mainly because he figured she wouldn't say anything right now. He would have to hope she would tell him later when she felt like it. He didn't think it was some kind of a surprise for him since he knew what was going on, unless those "few reasons" were it.

She rested her head on his shoulder the moment they snagged a few seats in the front. The ride wasn't long, but it was slow because of the snow and all the stops. Her eyes closed, head hurting a little from all the stress of the month and then some.

How she wanted to sleep, but she couldn't. It wasn't even that late in the day, just past sundown really, but there was so much to do. The Noel party would go on as planned and she had to send invites to everyone; figure out what they'd been doing lately so she could make new presents around all her other orders; try to give her parents money for the food they'd be cooking for her; find time to either call or text Sabrina and Chloe; and somehow have that lovely conversation with Alya should Chloe actually agree to show up.

She knew Sabrina would. She had a feeling that Sabrina would be hesitant to do so though, but only because of the history she had with the others in middle school. Once she convinced Sabrina that no one really cared and had probably forgotten a bunch of it, she would be more relaxed about the whole thing. Besides, no better way to start over than at a gathering with good food and drink and a few presents.

She was looking forward to this party for so many reasons and not just the ones including Chloe. Her first Noel done with graduate school. She wondered if she could get Adrien to spring for some more Dom Perignon or something almost as good to celebrate her graduation and Noel with everyone. It had been a long, hard road with a lot of long nights trying to do two big projects over the last three years, but now she was done. Sorbonne was a celebration as well, but undergraduate work paled in comparison to this level. Not to mention trying to pay her own way the whole time had been stressful to keep her up at night. Sorbonne had never been as bad with her gracious parents paying for class and not demanding she pay them room and board.

It was almost all over and now she could concentrate on her work and push ahead with it so much more than she ever had in the past. She was excited to get started and see if Adrien would help her promote everything, his father willing, and also take Chloe up on her offer of advertisement collaboration as well. But, that's not why she wanted to talk to the woman.

She jolted when the bus stopped and Adrien tapped on her leg. It was going to be another long day and she had taken herself away from her work time to talk with her mother. Now it was time to get back to it and pass out for the last few days of class and finals.

'I can't wait for all of this to be over...'

She wrapped her arm around Adrien's when she stumbled into him on the pavement. It wasn't even slippery; she was just that tired. He kept his free hand around the one clutching his new coat, leather fingers lightly patting her clothed ones. They walked back to the dorms in silence mostly because she was in a constant state of fatigue to find anything good to discuss.

"Please don't stay up so late again tonight, my lady." He murmured, fingers bringing her chin up for a quick kiss.

"Because my light shines into your room?" She cracked, grinning at what he had said to her so long ago.

"No. Because your grades depend on you getting rest and thus good study time." His arms went around her for a moment, watching his breath puff in the darkness. "Plus, I'm worried about your health. I think I'll turn in earlier than you, but I'll watch for a bit while you work."

She lightly patted his back and pulled away. "I'm sorry, but you know it'd be so much easier for me if you were in your room." She looked to the snow, frowning. "I get in the zone and when something takes me out of it, I lose the work ethic that I have when I'm there. I don't want to yell at you just because you're trying to talk to me."

He gave a half grin. "I understand. I'll see you in the morning at least." He kissed her again before stepping back to let her head upstairs. "Good night, Marinette. I love you."

She took a few steps back, half turning for the door. "Good night, Kitty. I'll see you tomorrow."

He slowly walked backwards so he could watch her get into her building. He took as long as he could before she was out of sight and stood there a little after the glass went back against the archway. The cold bit at his cheeks and nose, but that's all it could get to. His torso and arms felt nothing and his boots kept his feet more than warm in the snow under his toes. All thanks to her and her ingenuity.

Soon. Soon this would be over and then they would walk into that dorm together, but for just a little while. A new trouble awaited him when the next year showed up and he didn't know how he was going to face it. This time here wasn't bad because he could at least watch her. Next spring, someone else would be in her room for a few years and it would drive him crazy not to be able to look over at her. The fate that he unintentionally snatched up wouldn't be repeated a second time and he didn't want to get in trouble for the same issue.

The idea of heading back home for his next degree was almost tempting enough to possibly consider.

A few ideas had been roaming through his head, but he didn't voice any of them to her. Not now. Things like sharing an apartment or that whole marriage jump were out of his league. She had dreams she wanted to get started on very soon and once the new year was over, she would probably throw herself into work while he was in class all day. He didn't know how such a thing would work outside of this bliss anyway. He didn't want to intrude on dinnertime with her family just because he wanted to see her.

He wished he could test out of the whole damn program so he didn't have to take it, but he doubted his father would like that...if such a thing even existed. He was going to have to suffer a few more years of solitude like this and be content to go to her when she had free hours around her work.

This time now was special beyond anything else because they happened to be going to the same school. She had altered her work time a little, but other than that, their classes finished more or less around the same hour for the day and gave them time to study together, to spend the evening with each other. Everything would be like a dream soon and the last year would vanish into nothing, leaving him with nothing but hopeful longing.

There wasn't a good time to discuss such a thing either. She had Noel orders and finals going on right now, and he didn't want her worrying about the next few months. Then there was the party and this twist she was planning, and he didn't want to get into such a topic then during fun times if it was a sour note with her. After New Years would almost be too late because classes would be starting shortly after that, but there was no better time to bring it up. He supposed had the bet with his father not happen, they might have had the time to go into it more.

A hand scratched his head as he turned to head inside. It was all annoying, but an unmanageable for now. He'd just have to wait and see on everything and step in once the opportunity presented itself.


	90. Just another Noel party

"Cheers!"

"Happy Noel!"

Eight glasses clinked together before separating for their respective owners.

"It's so good to see you two again. I'm glad we could get caught up on things."

"It's nice, I'll agree."

"I see you haven't really changed since then...either of you."

"Be nice, Chloe."

"Hmph, I'm just stating the obvious."

"It's no big deal. I was always a hard-core romantic, even then."

"And there's nothing wrong with it."

"Are things going to get girly mushy before tonight is over? If I had known, I would've brought a date to cozy up with so I didn't fit the third wheel around here."

"Does that mean you're jealous of them, Chloe?" He smirked, intentionally wrapping his arm around Marinette.

Chloe snorted and took a gulp of champagne. "Those two were like that years ago. I'm used to it."

Rose giggled a little when Juleka's arm went around her waist. She leaned into her girlfriend's side and twirled the glass stem a little. "I've always been a hard-core romantic after all..."

Juleka smiled and leaned into Rose's side a little. "That's one of the things I like about you."

Chloe scoffed and went for one of the baked goods at the table. "Why didn't you warn me it would be fluff season?"

Marinette smiled and shrugged, leaning into Adrien's hold as best she could in her chair. "It's Noel. Couples are big. After all your travels, you haven't figured that out?" She sipped the champagne, eyes narrowing through a smirk. "You even went to Asia I hear. That place is couple-central right now."

"I'm not too sure who is intentionally baiting who here..."

"Just ignore them and enjoy your alcohol." Alya mumbled around the rim of her own glass. "I know I am." She smiled and raised the glass when Adrien looked her way. "Thanks for the Dom again this year. You'd better watch out or you'll have to make it a staple."

Adrien smiled and shrugged, his occupied arm around Marinette left to snag a sugar cookie. "It's been the only time I enjoy it, so I'm fine with it."

"Speak for yourself. Hmm...this is dryer than the ones I've had." Chloe's lips pursed in slight distaste as she looked at the bubbles. "What year did you go for? Please tell me you went past the forty year mark. They taste so much better the older they are."

He scoffed. "As much as I wanted to drop a few thousand euro for tonight, I kept it to a few hundred so I didn't make her pass out from the price tag." He kidded, nudging Marinette.

"You didn't even have to buy it in the first place." Marinette retorted, lightly elbowing him back. "I told you that we have plenty of wine here already."

He grinned and leaned his nose near her cheek, poking her real quick. "Where's the fun in throwing around Dom Perignon if I can't bring a bottle to special occasions? Today warrants that."

"Just let the boy play the rich card, Mar." Nino broke in, giving a hum when he finished a sip. "I'm not going to complain. If he wants to buy us rich people drinks, I say let him."

"I'm going to agree with Nino." Alya added with a smile. "We've got the best alcohol and the best baked goods in the country. You two sure know how to spoil parties for the rest of us."

"Eh, I've been to better." Chloe mumbled around the rim of her glass and ignoring Sabrina's slight glare.

"As have I, but I still prefer the quaint company of friends to those bashes in China." Adrien quickly returned before anyone could take the bait.

Chloe grinned and leaned over the dining table barely housing them all. "The rich in China sure know how to schmooze models." She mused.

"I think this may have been a mistake. I might just deck her before the night is over." Marinette mumbled in Mandarin, giving him a glance.

"Now, now, my lady...play the nice hostess. This was your idea after all." He responded in Mandarin.

"Hey now, secrets don't make friends." Nino replied in Italian with a sardonic grin.

Adrien looked his way with a smirk. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He responded in Italian, easily switching languages.

"Can anyone play this game?" Sabrina wryly broke in with German.

"Nein." Adrien happily cracked, watching Sabrina roll her eyes.

"Argh! Speak French!" Chloe bust out, lightly hitting the table with a fist. "Where the hell do you all think you are?"

Alya smirked. "What's wrong?" She asked in Italian. "Can't handle the big time?"

"I'm lost." Juleka broke in, eyes bouncing around the table like it was a tennis match.

"Just enjoy your wine..." Rose mumbled, patting her hand.

"Too bad Mylene isn't here. She's good with languages, too." Juleka responded after another sip.

"Hey, don't feel too bad for Mylene," Nino butt in, "those two are in England over Noel for Ivan's band. I'd say they broke even."

Marinette looked at the pair she hadn't seen since the last party and the pair she hadn't seen in months. "Oh? Is the band doing that well?"

Juleka nodded. "They put out a new cd about two months ago. He played in a few of the larger cities in France, Madrid, and they're going to be in England until after New Years is over with. He wanted to give you a copy, but they ended up heading out before he could get here."

"Mylene wanted me to tell you she's sorry to have missed this though." Rose added with a nod. "She has a gift for you though, Marinette. She told me to pass it on to you."

Marinette smiled. "She didn't need to do that."

"Even though you get them something every year?"

Marinette gave a sheepish grin, eyes wandering to the small packages sitting on the stairs to her old room, most of them from her. "Ah well...old habits die hard."

"I was told this was an optional gift party." Chloe spoke, brow going up. Light blue looked to dark blue. "That's what you told me. I didn't know we were supposed to get everyone something."

Adrien shook his head. "It is optional. That's just how Marinette is."

"I...I did get you and Sabrina something though." Marinette fumbled, blushing a little.

Rose smiled. "Yep. That's just how she is."

"I'm happy to just be invited to your gathering, but, thank you." Sabrina pleasantly replied with a nod.

It had oddly gone well after the initial shock and disdain had worn off. Rose and Nino took it better than Alya or Juleka did. Rose never harbored grudges against anyone, even though Chloe picked on her and Juleka in middle school. Alya was one to say more about Chloe's sudden appearance and the invite, especially after putting up with it most of middle school with her. Alya hated it just as much as she did, but said she was willing to give a small degree of trust in the whole thing since it's what was going to happen anyway.

She knew it was a risk to do this. Chloe had pretty much badgered everyone in this room except Adrien to some degree years ago and some of it had even made them cry. Even those who weren't here anymore hadn't escaped Chloe's onslaught. She was just happy that this was something of a truce. Part of her wanted it to happen more, for Adrien's friends to be included in her circle, too. It was a selfish wish on her part, even if it was kind of selfless at the same time.

And...there was that ulterior motive, too...

There were so many reasons for Chloe to be here today, but the sneakiest one was one that she hadn't told anyone about. She didn't want to say she'd lied to everyone to get Chloe here, but...more like not including the whole thing. She needed the perfect time get Chloe alone for even fifteen minutes for a brief conversation and her request. She didn't think Chloe would mind it once she heard what there was to do.

The Noel party wasn't really the best place for such a thing, given that Adrien was in attendance, but it was less suspicious this way. With all the time she had spent apart from Adrien, the few secret meetings with Gabriel over the last month alone, and the issues Adrien had with it, the less he know for his own sake. There was so much more that she had learned over this month and those handful of talks, and she couldn't stay quiet any longer. She didn't have much of a plan, but there was something there. For the first step, she needed Chloe. It could only be Chloe, who was one of the biggest puzzle pieces to Adrien's past. Who had the means to do anything she wanted without reprieve from anyone. Only Chloe could do this and thus it was important that she be here.

Breaking the partial truth to her as to why she was really here was probably going to get her an earful, but she was ready.

But first...

"You don't have to open it now if you don't want to..." Marinette mumbled, passing the small box Chloe's way as she passed out presents.

"It's Noel; of COURSE I'm opening a Noel present!" Chloe insisted, pulling the shiny red bow apart. The string gave easily and Chloe popped the lid off the box. The whole package wasn't any bigger than her palm, but it was nicely done anyway. After a quick second to move the flimsy wrapping aside, an even smaller item met her vision.

Marinette squirmed a little as Chloe looked into the box, other hand still holding the lid to one side as if frozen, occasionally blinking as she stared at the contents she had probably never seen in her life. Fingers fiddled with each other as she slightly leaned closer to Adrien's side, feeling his hand rub her arm a little in comfort through the obvious nerves that he was well aware with.

"Did you make this?" Chloe evenly asked, finally looking across the living room with a raised brow after agonizing heartbeats.

"What DOESN'T she make?" Adrien happily responded for her. The proud look on his face said he had more details than anyone else in the room had beforehand.

"Did YOU help make this, too?" Chloe gave him a dry look. "It might justify everything..."

Adrien grinned, nodding. "Hey, I always called you the queen bee during high school. It still seems to fit."

"What did she get you?" Nino asked, sitting up a little as if he could see into the box, hands fiddling with the wrapping on his own package.

Chloe reached down and picked up a bee maybe half of the length of her pinky. It was made of only three different colored beads of different sizes. It was attached to a short, dangling chain that looked store-bought but everyone else knew better. Anyone in this room would never get anything from a store where Marinette was concerned, unless it was the supplies to put their gift together.

"What's this thing on the end?" Chloe asked, brow furrowing in confusion as she examined the black, plastic piece in her hand.

Adrien looked over to Marinette when she tapped his leg. He looked down to her open palm and fished into his jacket pocket and handed his cell phone over with a sigh. "I want that back." He reported as she stood.

"I know, I know. Yours is the first of the line." Marinette dryly replied with a roll of her eyes. She stopped in front of Chloe and showed the top, to where there was a black cat and even tinier paw charm dangling from the earpiece of his cell phone. "It goes like this, where your headphones are supposed to connect." She reported, standing to head back.

Chloe quickly fished the phone out of her purse resting at her feet and held her phone up. She stared at the two items before connecting it to the top and looking at the whole thing together. "Just where did you figure this out from?" She asked with a raised brow, looking more curious at it all than annoyed.

Marinette smiled and handed Adrien's phone back before settling back beside him. "It's a big thing in Asia right now. After the cloth strap design went away because of cell phone redesign, they figured out a style that still worked."

Chloe kept staring at the item on her phone before glowering Adrien's way. "I'm not a bee..." She mumbled with a look that spoke of past annoyances.

Adrien grinned. "Always have been, always will be." He cryptically answered.

"And why are you a cat?"

"Because he likes cats." Marinette replied with a shrug. "You know this. It's part of his line. Little Black Cat. I can't break tradition."

"What the? Adrien has his own line?!" Nino blurted out, leaning over his knees. "It seems that there's more to catch up on than just finals here..."

Marinette winced at Nino, but then whipped a glare at Adrien. There was no way Nino would be so confused if he had known about the bet. "You didn't tell him yet?!"

Adrien gave a nervous laugh, feeling like sweating under Marinette's glare, Nino's nervous look, and Alya's suspicious gaze. "Ah...ha ha...n – not yet...?"

Chloe slapped her forehead with a groan. "I can't believe you didn't say anything yet! It's been, like, two months already!" She groused. "I don't care if there are others here. You spill the beans right now and let that poor boy know just what's in store for him!"

Adrien's head fell into his hands as a wave of uncertainty and foreboding swept over him. "You didn't have to say it like that..." He mumbled.

"You or he is going to start spilling." Alya reported, hand slapping over Nino's attempts to open his present. "Nothing continues until we hear just what the hell is going on."

The pair looked to each other, matching cringes on their faces. She heaved a sigh, patting Adrien's leg to tell him she'd take the reigns on this, and started all the way back to her birthday. She gave a little back story for those that had no idea what was going on the last few months, then led into Gabriel finding out about her sneaking into the venue with Nino and the Milan incident. Everyone but Chloe and Sabrina had questions and comments about the beginning of the year, plus Italy and why she pulled such a stupid stunt. She tried to answer them as best she could while still sticking to the timeline of the story, ending with the bet she made with Gabriel and the clothing line she created for Adrien.

Adrien got up when Marinette was going over the items she had made, passing around the leather jacket and gloves. He was currently wearing the green sweater she had knitted and held out the cat paw logo where she had put it.

The story put her through all the stress again and she passed her wine glass to Adrien with a subtle hint for him to get her some more liquid courage to go over where they were at now in their lives. She described the final meeting where she told Gabriel off for discounting her work and their entire relationship and how she walked out when he tried to tell her she was a horrible human being. She carefully kept out the reasons why, since those were revealed in the meetings at his house later on. Adrien had only a little knowledge of what she went into with Gabriel and she wanted everyone else to be out of the loop on it, too.

"I can't believe that jackass!" Alya finally burst out. "The nerve of that man! After all you've been through and how long you idolized him!"

"I always thought he was a dick, but I didn't think he'd be a colossal one..." Chloe cracked, smirking around her wine glass.

"Well...that kind of puts a damper in a few things, but nothing I can't handle." Nino mumbled, looking to the floor. He forced a smile and sat back when Alya patted his leg. "I suppose I can handle being blacklisted if it means I stay out of jail for aiding and abetting trespassing."

Alya heaved a sigh, fingers pinching her nose under her glasses. "This has been the weirdest fucking year. All I can say is I'm so glad we're all going to get past it next year and can move on with our lives..." She mumbled.

"I have to agree with you on that one..." Marinette nodded. "It's been one hell of a third year and while I'm kind of scared of what's going to happen after graduation, at least most of us can get a fresh start."

Alya raised her glass and leaned over Nino on the couch. "I'll clink to that one, girlie."

Alya was now finished with school, just as she was. Her days would open up for a full-time job, but also for time with Nino. The two of them had suffered enough and could now work on whatever they wanted with nothing major standing in their way.

"It sounds like everyone has a lot to catch up on." Juleka muttered, grabbing her and Rose's now empty glasses. "It seems like we should derail from presents and catch up before coming back to that."

Rose sat up straighter at the mention before grabbing the large present at her legs and standing. "Wait! Mylene said she needed Marinette to have this before we left tonight." She passed the bag over, letting go of the handles and finding her seat again. "She told me a few times so it must be important."

Marinette's brows furrowed as she reached in through the bag and pulled out a wrapped present. It was a gorgeous, sparkling red with white and green ribbons curled under the bow. It was beautiful and almost artistic in a way and she didn't want to ruin Mylene's handiwork.

She looked to the tag hanging under some of the curls and froze when she read the few words on it, eyes widening.

 _To my muse._

The ability to breathe was suddenly forgotten with handwriting she had not seen in a long time, but could never forget. How could she? It was still in some of her old sketchbooks.

"Where..." She barely heard herself mumble. "Where did you...get this?"

"My lady? Are you okay?"

She looked across the way to Rose who seemed slightly confused at her response. "Mylene gave it to me to give to you."

"This...isn't from her..." She nearly whispered, expressionless eyes going back to the tag. "Where did she get this from?"

Rose shrugged and moved over when Juleka handed her a full glass. "You'll have to talk to her about it then, I guess. Oh! Wait...I think she mentioned adding something for you. I thought she was giving you a Noel card, so I didn't understand it..."

A free hand almost numbly dove back into the bag, grasping a red envelope she didn't know how she had missed until now. She left the present on her legs and opened the unsealed envelope.

 _Marinette,_

 _I apologize that you are opening this on Noel. I know that you're doing it with everyone around you and I'm sorry to be the messenger. I wanted to be there to go over it with you, but I can't. I accepted it shortly after your birthday, but we never met up for me to give it to you. He was too hesitant to give it to you himself and I know he still is. He asked me to give it to you for him in case you didn't want to see him. If you need anything from me, just call me. I know this isn't going to be easy for you._

 _Warm wishes, Mylene_

She dropped the paper on the ground and flipped the present to the back where the tape was. The back was hollow, as she was well aware of, and it wouldn't get damaged in her haste.

 _Marinette,_

 _I apologize for this. I wanted to give this to you on your birthday, but I was too scared. I hadn't missed anything concerning you until now, but I wanted to do so one last time. I suppose, with as late as it might get to you, it's a birthday, Noel, and graduation present all rolled into one. I will always remember this moment, when we were at our best days._

 _Forever your friend and love, Nathaniel Kurtzburg_

"You have got to be kidding me!" She heard Adrien burst out.

Her eyes were locked on the handwriting on the paper taped to the back of the canvas. She was too scared to flip it over. She didn't want to know what it was that she would see. Every fiber in her body told her to put it down, tear it up, destroy it, pass it back. She didn't want to see what it was that he wanted to give her; she didn't think she'd survive it. As it was, everything had shut down and all she could do was freeze in the position she was in right now.

Somehow, forgotten hands slowly flipped it and found...herself.

She had much shorter hair in the painting, but that was because she wanted to shed the longer, youthful look she had at the time and appear more grown-up. He had taken a picture of her on his phone with an outfit she had just made at the time and was showing off, trying to be more of an adult than she felt when he took the picture. The half smile showed it. She had just become friends with him shortly before that and she was still kind of nervous around him.

She found out much later that it was because he liked her and wanted something of her to take with him that he was so insistent on getting that shot.

" _Could I take your picture? I really like the outfit you have on."_

" _Why? We have to get to class!"_

" _Please? Just a quick one! You look fine, I promise. You don't need to do your hair or anything."_

His voice from that memory easily echoed in her ears. She would remember his voice for a long time, until the sands could blow hard enough to dull it from her eardrums and it was just a curiosity to what he sounded like.

"Marinette?"

The air left her in a whoosh as fast as she sucked it back in, her lungs protesting what she was unintentionally doing to them. The invisible wall hiding her emotions snapped and tears flooded her eyes. Her lower lip wobbled and her breathing quickly became unsteady. Fingers gripped the wood frame, eyes unable to leave the life-like quality he had given her.

"Oh god...someone get that thing away from her!" Alya suddenly piped up, scrambling off the couch.

"Marinette...give me the painting. It's okay." Adrien coaxed, eying the tears streaming down her face.

She couldn't let go of it. The handwriting and any of its meaning went through her mind as the voices of those around her were drowned out by her own sobs and gasps.

Forever your friend and love...

She was afraid she had messed things up beyond repair. She had invested so much time with him, had so many good memories alongside the bad. She assumed that he hated her, would forever curse her name and spite her at every chance he got. She feared she had broken his heart and would forever turn him away from love, that he could never love another because she had jaded him so much. She didn't think she'd be so relieved to know that, perhaps in the far distant future, she might still be able to call Nathaniel her friend like she used to.

Arms suddenly wrapped around herself, but perfume met her nose instead of cologne. A hand stroked the hair she left loose for today. She knew that hold. She had to feel it dozens of times through the years because of the same set of tears she was crying, thought the reasons were different. A mass of hair had forced her to close her eyes, but she knew the feel of her best friend's arms any day. They had hugged day in and day out almost since they met in school. It was common; now it was a lifeline.

"It'll be okay, Mar. It's over. You don't have to look at that thing. Mylene was wrong on this one. We'll take it and destroy it." Alya cooed, hand going through her locks.

She slowly came to herself, suddenly realizing that everyone had seen the outburst. She had ruined Chloe's first gathering with them, though she didn't mean to. Rose never meant to. Mylene, whatever her intentions were, didn't mean to do this.

She forced herself to take deep breaths, accepting the tissue from Adrien and blew her nose. She looked to the hands in her lap, slowly shaking her head. "No..." She whispered. "Please don't." She suddenly was aware of Adrien being next to her the whole time, the painting in one of his hands. Her eyes teared up again at the meaning of it, but she took a few deep breaths. "I – I'd like...t – to keep...it...please."

Adrien's brow rose. "This is from Nathaniel, right? Why?"

She slowly disentangled herself from Alya's embrace and took Adrien's free hand, sad eyes on her younger self. "I...didn't think that...never hoped that...there w – would be a way...to go back...t – to the past..." She sniffled. "Things...ended...a – and there was nothing left... W – when all this is done...there will be nobody left..." Teary eyes looked to him, seeing him a little disgruntled, but concerned for her. She gave him a little smile, loving him all the more. "That's what I thought... I didn't hope to salvage anything...but...but m – maybe...in the future...the far future...the pain will subside a – and...we could be friends..."

"Oh Marinette..." Alya's forehead lightly clunked on her shoulder with a sigh, hand patting her best friend's back. "Don't hope for the impossible. We may not always be there for you, but we're still here when we need to be. Just because you can't see us doesn't mean we're not friends anymore."

Adrien gently put the painting against the couch at his feet and took Marinette into his arms. She didn't weep, merely sniffle and try to take deep breaths. His hand rubbed her back slowly, slightly torn.

He had no idea what she had been through in Sorbonne or high school. She hadn't spoken of enough for him to grasp the feeling she was going through right now about Nathaniel being gone. She didn't seem to be the lonely type, but it was times like these when he felt like he didn't know everything about her. He only knew that she was adamant about throwing this party every year to hang out with friends he knew she didn't get to see very often. When he thought about the last Noel party he had been to and the times since they had gone out, she had only been with anyone aside him a handful of times. Alya and Nino even didn't visit that very often. This would make almost an entire year of not seeing Ivan or Mylene since Ivan's birthday.

Friends to her were precious and she was loyal to them. He knew this. He also knew that she didn't get to see any of them due to work and school. He was lucky for more than just dating her. He doubted if he went to any other university, that he would have such access to her. The next year was something he feared happening a little more than before finals.

He knew what it was like to lose friends and never be able to see them again. He had done it a lot over the last five years alone through all his extensive travels and it stung every time. Just when you thought you got to hang out with someone you or they went somewhere else permanently. After a while, he became numb to it all, but it still didn't stop him from trying.

"Shh, it'll be okay, my lady. We'll keep the painting until you decide for good what you want to do with it." He murmured, kissing the top of her head. "Why don't you go get some fresh air and come back when you've calmed down a little? I know you'd hate to end the party so soon before everyone gets to open their presents from you."

She took a deep breath, not wanting to face anyone else after having cried over such a complex topic. She slowly pulled away from his arms, face red and gave a nervous laugh. "Ah...ha ha... I didn't mean to ruin everyone's Noel fun... I'll...just...head to the roof of my room for a bit and be back as soon as I can."

She stood, gave Chloe a fairly long look, and headed up without another word.

 _Chloe's_ _bee_ _inspiration:_ _pinterest com/pin/249809110564410931/_

 _Adrien_ _cat_ _inspiration:_ _pinterest com/pin/318700111110203341/_

 _Painting_ _inspiration:_ _i ytimg com/vi/2fwsYGt5QOA/hqdefault jpg_


	91. A complicated proposition

She was so embarrassed. Now that the shock had cleared via the cold, she was almost too mortified to head back downstairs and rejoin everyone.

She stared at the clear, starry sky and smoke from the tops of houses as it climbed into the darkness. She watched her breath fog with each sigh, wondering how much lesser of an idiot she could have been if she had assumed from Mylene's letter that something not good was going to come out of that package before she ever opened it.

Well...it was kind of good in a way...

Somewhere, part of her would always love Nathaniel. He had been her first love and those were the types who were etched into one's heart too deep to be wiped away. Not even time would destroy such a thing. While she assumed they couldn't remain friends after that, he had personally created an olive branch for them to tell her that such a thing wasn't the case. Time had moved on enough for him to realize that they had been friends long before they were lovers and he wanted to go back to that...even if it took a while to reach that spot and perhaps longer yet to go before they could meet.

 _I will always remember this moment, when we were at our best days._

Tears threatened to fall again, but she harshly wiped her eyes dry, not caring if she messed up her eye shadow or not. "Nathaniel...you jerk...bad timing..." She mumbled. She would have rather this happened on her birthday than now at Noel where she just embarrassed herself in front of all her friends and Chloe.

"Hey! Are you coming back inside or what?! Don't make me come get you; I don't know how to do so!"

She jolted and whipped to the open hatch, light shining from it. She quickly slapped her cheeks and headed away from the view.

That's right...Chloe... She still needed to talk to Chloe...

She landed on the bed and looked to the lower half of the room where Chloe stood with crossed arms and a tapping foot. She stared for a moment before Chloe's head shook and she threw her hands in the air with a sigh.

"Come down here. It's not like I'm going to eat you or chew you out for that little display. You asked me to come up here, right?"

"Sorry about...all that..." She mumbled, arms on the railing.

Chloe shrugged. "Hey...you loved art boy. I knew he liked you from way back when so it doesn't really surprise me if something happened after you broke up. Don't apologize for what you feel. You can't help who you love."

Marinette stared for what felt like forever until Chloe's brow rose at the extended eye contact. She wondered if it had been a good idea to invite Chloe for more than just needing to talk to her and was beyond sure now. Chloe understood more than she let on and didn't apologize for things that went a certain way, whether good or bad. She also didn't seem to care at all about the earlier outburst or whatever she felt and knew that while something important had been there, Chloe didn't care what it was.

She would have to make it a point to thank Chloe for coming and being here more than just because she wanted Adrien's friends to meet hers.

She slid down the ladder from years of practice and sat on the chaise lounge with another sigh. She looked up when Chloe stopped in front of her before sitting at the corner. "I'm glad you read into that. It would've been too weird to come get you and bring you back up here." She murmured, eying the hole in the floor.

"Yea well, with as long as you looked at me, anyone could tell you had something to say." Chloe crossed a leg and leaned back on her hands, looking around at all the pink. "Any idiot could figure that out so you'd better hope that no one else noticed. Nice room by the way..."

She smiled a little and turned to face Chloe. Her mouth opened to speak, but quickly snapped shut and looked to the floor...to the hatch that could allow their entire conversation to flow downstairs. For anyone to come up and interrupt or hear what she didn't want them to just yet.

She hopped off the bed and went to the chunk of wood, pausing when it was half closed. "Quick!" She hissed. "Diss my clothes. Make up some excuse! I need to close this without anyone coming up!"

Chloe raised a brow, blinking in utter confusion for a second before getting up and kneeling in front of the hatch like no one could hear them up here. "Oh...god! What the hell did you get all over yourself? Snow everywhere! You're all wet...let's, uh, show me to your closet! I need to dress you properly! No one come up here; I've got it covered! I'll...I'll put her in something nice!"

"Didn't need to really yell, but it'll work." Marinette wryly cracked, letting the wood clank in place. She stood and crossed her arms, trying to find the place to start.

Chloe stood and crossed her arms as well. "Okay, so...that was totally weird. While it was strange enough that you wanted ME to come up to get you, now it's just bizarre. I think I deserve a full explanation about what the hell is going on here. Don't tell me I'm being punked on this whole party thing because I won't be too happy about that, you know."

Her head quickly shook. "That was a genuine invite, but I also used it to get you here because it would be too suspicious to meet you somewhere else. We're not exactly at the level that I can just text you and meet you for coffee... If I said something to Adrien, he'd get highly suspicious."

Chloe smirked. "Your choice, but whatever. How about getting into the thick of whatever it is that you need to go over with me...?"

She paced for a few moments before plopping back on the lounge and looked to her hands. "I've fought with myself on saying anything to you for weeks because I was sworn to secrecy on the subject, but I've decided not to stay quiet any longer. You're the only person who will understand this and you're the only one I can get help from."

Chloe's eyes widened after a second of silence, hands covering her mouth. "Oh...oh god... You're not eloping are you? Are you pregnant?"

"What?! No!" She gave a weird look, face going in her hands. "No! It's nothing like that...although...I guess it just sounded that way..." She patted the spot next to her and waited till Chloe joined her again. She faced Chloe and took a deep breath. "I've been meeting with Gabriel Agreste after the whole bet was cleared."

"What?!"

"Shhh!" She put hands against Chloe's mouth for all of a second before she was shoved away. "You still have to be sorta quiet! Sound does still travel you know." A hand scratched her hair, wondering if she should just spill everything bluntly and forget the speech she had prepared. "Yea, yea, I know how it sounds. Adrien didn't like it at all since he's not speaking to his father right now."

"No wonder. Asshole..."

"That 'asshole' just missed his son." She mumbled, hunching over onto her legs, chin falling onto an open palm. Blue fell to the pink fabric they were on. "He did what he did because he can't get over the fact that his only child is a man. I guess it's a parent thing. I dunno. I know papa did it to me for years until I was in Sorbonne."

Chloe scoffed. "About ten years too late for that one, Gabe." She mumbled, not looking happy. "That guy hardly has a right to see his son as a child after forcing him to be a man in the business for as long as he has."

"While I agree with you, it's...complicated. Gabriel has given me information that he hasn't even let Adrien in on and if he was aware of what I'm going to tell you I know he'd be mad at me, but I can't let it just fizzle out like it already has for years."

Chloe crossed her legs and leaned over them. "Okay, this is getting juicy. Spill. Now."

One final push told her not to say anything, but she shoved it away. She didn't want to think she'd be wrong about this since only good could come from it. Even if there was a little upset in the middle of it, she wanted to believe it could be worked out. "Adrien's mother is alive and I sort of know where she is."

Chloe was silent for a heartbeat before rapidly clamping her hands over her mouth the second it opened with a gasp and started in on a tirade she could only half hear. It was amusing and odd in a way, watching Chloe go on as loudly as she could, but try to keep it from traveling to the others by quieting herself.

Chloe monitoring herself. An odd thought and she almost wanted to laugh.

Chloe abruptly turned and plopped on the lounge again, eyes sparkling with excitement. "I want all the info you have and I won't let you leave until you give me everything you know!" Hands reached out and grasped her arms. "I don't even know where she's at! I know everything that happened a little more than what the tabloids gave, but she disappeared so suddenly that we thought she had been kidnapped for a moment!"

"I looked up on the internet when he said the town name because I had never heard of it before, but I've never been that far south. The population is around thirty-thousand, which is perfect to not be recognized in a small town, and far away from Paris in order to be forgotten down there."

"So where is she?!"

"Menton."

Chloe was silent for a moment before her eyes practically burst from her sockets. "There?! Oh my god you've got to be kidding me!"

She jerked back at the outburst. "Don't tell me you actually know where it is!"

"Of course I do! They've got sandy beaches with blue waters, and it's not far away from Nice. I've been to Nice for the wines so many times that I got bored and stopped in Menton because they are supposed to have an amazing view, plus the weather is good during the winter. Didn't stay long once I found out that the hype doesn't live up to the expectations though. Oh my god, I can't believe she's there!"

She sat back, a little stunned that Chloe somewhat knew of the area, but not entirely shocked. Chloe had been around the world exploring for her father's business as was her job and already said more than once that she had been all over France. Travel and curiosity landed Chloe closer than she ever thought she'd get to figuring out what had happened to the Agreste family.

This was going to work in her favor. She didn't think things would go as smoothly as she wanted, but she knew good luck would come out of this sometime soon. All she had to do was adjust a few things and wait for good news.

"That's a big help actually." She leaned forward a little. "I need your help with something. You remember the best what Adrien's mother looks like and you're slightly familiar with the area. I bet that by now she would have made herself comfortable enough for a few residents to know her name, unless she gave a false one. It's only a town; do you think you could find her?"

Chloe gave a look that would have been less annoying had she just bonked her on the head. "Find one person in an area with almost thirty-thousand people? Are you kidding me?! Do I look like a blood hound to you? How the fuck am I supposed to do that?!"

She sighed. "You have time and money on your side. It's too suspicious if I go, but everyone is used to you leaving whenever or wherever you want for any span of time. Not even Sabrina could get away with this if Adrien decided he wanted to hang out with either of you. But, if he tried to contact you and you said you were in the south of France, he wouldn't bat an eye. I know it's a pain because it's so vague and might take a while, but it has to be you!" She clasped Chloe's hands, determination burning in her eyes.

Chloe's fingers remained limp as the two stared at each other. She showed no obvious emotion and hardly blinked as even blue looked to burning blue. She finally sighed, head drooping forward, hands remaining where they were. "Your hands are really cold, you know. Go get a warmer sweater on. We've wasted enough time up here as it is."

She jolted back a little when Chloe slid off the lounge and headed for her closet. "Does that mean you'll do it? You have to!" She insisted, following Chloe and watching as she opened the door.

Chloe's hands dug around through the small area, tsking a few times in whatever her eyes landed on. "I don't like being ordered around unless it's daddy and usually if he tells me to do something, it's in my favor anyway. I don't gain anything by helping you, except for points with Adri-kins." She gave a quick hum as she stared at a pure white, fuzzy sweater before turning and holding up the hanger over Marinette's torso. "Think you can not spill wine on this for the rest of the night? Or anything else? It looks like you spent a lot of time on this."

She grabbed the hanger and let it fall to the floor as her arms tightened at her sides. "Are you going? Just give me a yes or no! What else do you need me to say here?"

Chloe slammed the closet door shut with an annoyed look, arms crossing as the two faced each other. "While I'm all for Adri-kins meeting his mom, it'd be kind of weird. Did you honestly think of what would happen if that day actually shows up? Right now, he's in a state of acceptance and has moved on past all the heartache he experienced when she left. Are you prepared to handle shoving the two of them together?!" A finger came out and jabbed Marinette's chest.

"It's the right thing to do!" She asserted, knocking Chloe's hand away. "I plan on being there with him when it happens so I can give support."

Chloe tsked and gave a half grin with narrowed eyes. "You, who have both of your parents, would never understand." Chloe turned away, idly looking to the hatch. "You didn't lose your mom for whatever reason a long time ago and had to live with the aftermath of that issue. Of what society would say or try to do to 'help' you get over her being gone. Of knowing that she wasn't there anymore and seeing it splashed in the newspapers."

She had a feeling that Chloe wasn't talking about Adrien's issue anymore and while she had never heard the story of Chloe's mother not being there, she didn't ever pay attention enough to look at the details. With the way Chloe had acted around her for years, knowing her past was the last thing she wanted. The fire died a little as Chloe stared with an even expression, not meeting her gaze. "Chloe..."

Chloe snapped to at her name and gave a haughty expression, chin raising. "If anyone is going to find Adri-kin's mom, it's going to be me and I'll be the one to comfort him through the hard times. You can come and watch if you want, but don't get in my way. I don't support this idea, but I just happen to be bored right now. As his girlfriend, you can go through with your stupid plan, but it has to be me to who finds her." A finger tapped her cheek when a thought came up. "I just hope that I don't slap her when I actually find her..."

Hope surged from her chest like a phoenix and her eyes widened. She grinned and took a step forward, but Chloe's hand shot out and kept her from hugging the woman. "Now hurry up and get that damn sweater on already. We've gone past our allotted time and if Adri-kins isn't thinking something else is going on, Alya will. Although, I'm more than annoyed with you to justify stomping back down those stairs."

She threw the current top onto the lounge and shook her hair back into place once the new sweater was on. The thickness and plush thread warmed her skin immediately despite it being slightly chilly. "And I'm just grateful enough to you to do this that I don't mind following you down with a slightly chagrined face about my earlier behavior as if we were arguing about that topic."

"Thankfully, there are too many people down there who are willing to gloss over your issue with the discomfort you just went through." Chloe grinned. "Now that we've got our roles set up, how about we get on with this farce? Oh and I'm going to tell this whole thing to Sabrina because I can't keep a secret with her and I'm going to need her help on this as it is. Sabrina is smarter than I am on a lot of stuff and I intend on using that if I have to be down there that long."

She nodded and moved to get the hatch out of the way. "Not a problem. Just keep me in contact as much as you can from the moment you leave."

"I'll sneak my number to you before I leave so Adri-kins doesn't suspect a thing."


	92. Private eye investigation

How the hell was she supposed to do this?! Being charged with such an important task as finding her best friend's mom who was gone for years and was too scared to face her own son...it was too much. Even if Marinette was right and she was the best one to pull this off, the pressure was exhausting. Not like she was going to go house-to-house knocking on doors and looking at every face with thirty thousand people to go through. There were PIs to hire for that kind of job and she was half tempted to do that before all this was over.

She didn't know why such a job was entrusted to her, but Marinette was right on one thing: if anyone was going to find someone, it had to be her. She knew what Adrien's mom looked like and would recognize any change to her hair or makeup. She was stubborn enough to follow through and try as hard as she could to get results so long as the desire was there, which there definitely was. Also, she had the money and time to waste. Excuses were easy and no one would bat an eye if she said she was using her personal pilot to head south due to the cold and snow in Paris. Using her father's business as a reason was cake, too. She could rent a place down there for the month and wave off any concerns with not wanting to be around the cold until spring and have her daddy call her if he ever needed something. Everyone would believe it. No one would care.

If anyone else went though...

Adrien wouldn't be stable enough to pull off the job. She didn't know what he would do when his mom was found, but she knew he was going to need as many people near him as he could when he went down. She was worried for him, but it was high time the farce was done. From what she had heard that night in Marinette's room, his mother was only scared of what-ifs and nothing more. If the woman was too much of a wuss to approach him herself, they'd take the first step and bring him there instead. She didn't know what was going to happen in detail, but she knew someone was going to end up crying.

According to Marinette, she intended on getting an excuse put together for her to say and then the four of them would go. While Adrien's Italian would be good enough in a place nearly touching Italy's borders, she could easily get Sabrina to go with as her own personal guide and let Marinette use Adrien. He would need Sabrina's solid presence there to fall back on besides Marinette anyway.

She had a bad feeling that part of this plan was going to backfire and Adrien would lash out at Marinette, if only for keeping the whole thing a secret instead of involving him as they probably should be doing. While the desire to help was there, Marinette didn't know anything about having lost a parent that didn't die. She never had to go through the dark rainbow of emotions and the gap that was left behind. That was the biggest reason she didn't want to help. It was best to let it alone after so many years of despair. It wasn't a glimmer of hope that she was giving Adrien, just confusion. Especially if his mom didn't want to see him after all this time.

Highly unlikely, but still a possibility.

Despite all that, she was getting to like Marinette a little more with every sneaky plan that came out of her mouth. Perhaps had they met later in life, the two of them could have gotten along better when such childish tendencies weren't in the way. She was able to recall many of them with such potent emotions to back up her actions and sometimes she shook her head at her own behavior. The younger version of herself ten years ago was quite the idiot and if she could go back in time, she had half a mind to slap her middle school self. With time came growth and maturity. While she wanted to cringe at her old self, what was done was done and all she could do was move on.

At this point, she was given a month's window to accomplish everything. Staying in a place so small with such a tiny populace wasn't the issue. Without Sabrina there to help, she was bound to get bored before half the month was out, but she'd have to try. This was for her Adri-kins and she owed him a lot. This was the only way she could level the playing field after all he'd done for her over the years. All that he'd suffered. What he endured on occasion due to her. The trump card was here and she was waiting to play it.

01010

She thought it was going to take the whole month, but two days of wandering around the area, by taxi of course, found it much smaller than she expected. It wasn't spread out like Paris and that made it a million times easier to deal with. Hell, the entire town was probably the size of one of Paris's districts! There really wasn't much to do aside from frequent a few shops, businesses, and the ocean. The view wasn't bad as she told Marinette, but staring at the water move for more than ten minutes got boring. She knew that Adrien's mom liked gardening and water, but didn't think she'd be at the edge so often if she had lived near it for years. Plus, it was January and even with the two seas bringing warm air in, it was still cold.

She tried to think of all the activities his mom liked to a long time ago and started there. There was the botanical garden, but it just looked like an old house with a huge backyard at how the layout was set up. There was the open market, but the whole thing was the length of one shopping strip on a street in Paris. There were loads of sailboats and a wharf to check out, but she couldn't remember the Agrestes owning a boat, let alone spending the time to go on one. Nothing hit pay dirt for a long time and she didn't think she was wrong, just not in the right spot at the right time. It was still annoying as hell to know that this was all she could do right now with the only clue being this town.

Passing by a meat shop one afternoon and seeing that shock color of blond hair was the unforeseen twist of hope she had been needing.

She had wanted to take a taxi that morning because the sun wasn't at the right height for her to be warm enough to stand walking. As it was, she had on tennis shoes instead of her favored flats cause her feet hurt from too much walking. She wasn't a fan, but they kept her just done toenails safe from abuse.

It was hard to miss such platinum blond. It shone off the sun like a beacon, even though most of it was wrapped in a scarf for the weather. It wasn't anything bright or left over from the recent Noel and New Years holidays, which probably made it easier to spot her.

She didn't know how she found the woman. She had been annoyed that the search was taking so long, though she knew from the start that such a thing was a given. It was chilly and then there was the occasional rain on top of it all from last night. Perhaps, had her eyes not been darting all over the place, head ready to take back all of the good things she mentally said to Marinette, she wouldn't have seen her.

She stopped and stared for as long as her target was occupied, mouth wide open in shock. The urge to go up and hug her, yell at her, throttle her, slap her across the face even, was powerful. She only abandoned all thoughts when his mother turned to leave and they almost made eye contact. She quickly whipped around and nearly ran to the nearest alley, heart pounding and adrenaline running. She peeked around the building to find his mother heading off across the street and hurried after at a safe distance as she could.

It was something right out of a spy movie and she felt like James Bond...almost. She ducked around parked cars whenever his mother looked both ways to cross the street and found the chase a lot shorter than she figured on. She hid behind the front tire of a minuscule vehicle that was hardly doing a good job of keeping her out of sight, watching with wide eyes as his mother disappeared into a very normal-looking building nestled amongst a few others.

Her breathing was choppy, her veins thrumming with a sense of excitement she hadn't had in years. This was what she had been waiting for and now all she had to do was figure out his mother's schedule to get them to the right building when the time was right. She had two more weeks and the meat cashier was the first place to start. She didn't know the right questions to ask, but could figure that out later. The breadcrumbs had been found and she would collect them over the next week...with a little help of course.

Quickly, she dug into her back pocket and grabbed her cell phone, taking a picture of the building and both sides of the street to remember what it looked like. She opened her text log and forwarded the picture with the street name to Marinette, simply typing in "pay dirt" and sending it.

Just as she was ready to put them phone back, the tickle of the bee charm in her fingers drew her attention and she looked at it. She remembered getting her first gift ever from Marinette and a half smile appeared. She didn't know what to do with someone she used to consider her enemy. It was hard to turn back time, but Marinette was doing her damnedest to fix things despite all the shit she had been put through for years and a tiny part of her felt compelled to as well.

Once her precious Adri-kins was taken care of and in good hands, she relaxed a little. After the storms had cleared and the olive branch extended, she now felt something of a kinship to Marinette...especially with this debacle in gear. Marinette had Adrien's good in mind deep down and she was all for it now after physically seeing his mother. The two of them were going to do this for him, whether he knew about it or liked it. It was time to be the driver in the fated car randomly carrying him along and give him the option to do what he wanted with the info she found here.

With a new sense of resolve in mind, she was spurred on to keep going strong for the next few weeks. Now that she had a means to start at, she could work from there and take notes where necessary. This might be as annoying as having to work for any kind of clue and she wished Sabrina were around more than before to handle the sticky details.

'Hmm, maybe I should call her with what I find out and get some ideas from her...'

Sabrina picked up the pieces on things she wasn't good on, like what to do after striking iron as in this situation. They worked well that way; she instigated an idea and Sabrina filled in the blanks on the rest. If she didn't like something, Sabrina had alternatives in mind. She actually liked some of this hide-and-seek stuff.

"Maybe I should see if she can come down for the week. January is almost over after all..." She mumbled. She turned for the steer and started looking for a taxi. "Stupid taxes. She just had to pick such an extensive job away from me... Brrr...why did I agree to this before spring?"

Tonight. She'd call Sabrina tonight and see when her pilot was available. If she had to pay Sabrina's firm the week's time off, she'd do it! It wasn't like she didn't have the money to blow. It would be worth it in the end to solve this faster with less headache. Money was the key to fixing this issue.

It ended up being a walk back to the rented house instead of a taxi ride. She kicked the shoes into the wall in frustration. "Damn it, I need a shower to relax and warm up! Too bad it's a regular bathtub. Ugh...where's my jacuzzi when I need it?"

She made sure to find a place large enough to not make her feel boxed in with as long as she was there, but still much smaller than the hotel in total. Two floors and a lot more walls upstairs made it feel way more narrow than her open suite in Paris. The master bedroom was the size of her bathroom at home. No extra room service, no personal butler either. They cleaned the place right before she came and that was it...as if she was going to do so during her time here. Then there was the American-style fridge she had to stock herself with food she didn't know how or where to buy. It was still pretty empty since she ate out almost every day...to the suffering of her poor taste buds. How she missed the Cesaire cooking! Not that she was going to admit that to anyone though.

She stared at the kitchen with a scowl, arms crossing. "Maybe I should get Sabrina down here just so I can have a decent meal..." Soon enough, she'd brow-beat Sabrina into getting here. Her lips curled before she whipped around for the small bathroom and regular shower.

01010

"Why are all of your exploits so poorly timed?" Sabrina groaned. "I have a job to do here, you know!"

"I'm aware of your monetary situation." Chloe waved off, head wrapped in a towel. "Just let me talk to your main accountant or whatever his name was and I'll set you up no problem."

"That's not quite the point." Sabrina almost growled. She resisted the urge to throw her glasses across the room. "Unlike you, I don't get the option to just take off and go gallivanting to whatever god-forsaken place I choose! My employers would get highly upset with that behavior and such an unreliable person on their payroll."

"Okay, first off, this place is boring, but otherwise not forsaken. Secondly, you don't know where I am or why I'm here. Third, you need to unwind a little. Accountants can go wherever so don't flip if you get in trouble with that guy."

Sabrina heaved a sigh and flopped onto her bed. Chloe had never held down any kind of job relating to normal work hours, so wouldn't understand the need to actually go to work every day. "I didn't even know you weren't in Paris! I've been busy with work. It IS the first quarter, you know..."

"All the more reason to take a break. One week. I'll have you flown down and you can stay in this hovel with me and help me."

Fingers pinched Sabrina's nose, her other hand clenching the phone tight. "I can't be gone for a whole week! I don't care if it's past the first quarter payment deadline. Third quarter is in the middle of March and I've got extensions that are going to need to be dealt with before I can take time off."

"Three days then. You sound like you need some time near the ocean and a little excitement." Chloe looked around the small room and master bedroom with a frown. "Okay, so this isn't exactly the hotels I'm used to, but it had to do. They don't do five stars down here. I checked."

Sabrina sighed and rolled her eyes. "So where did you end up anyway?"

"Menton."

Sabrina gave the opposite wall an odd look. "That place?! I thought you hated that town! Why are you back there when the weather isn't much better up here than it is down there?"

Chloe flopped in the bed and took the towel out of her hair. She tossed it onto the floor for now, wishing she had someone else here to do housekeeping. 'Hmm...I'll have to see who I can hire... That family collecting my money sure isn't doing much else.'

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She teased, knowing Sabrina would take the bait.

"So you're in a place that you didn't want to go back to because there was almost zero shopping and good restaurants, and you're calling me to go with for a week? What's the real reason you're there? It can't be because of the hotel. We already checked out the wines there."

Chloe looked out at the gray evening with a grin. It was going to rain tonight and while it would have put her in a surly mood, but she was having too much fun right now. "I'm hunting for Adri-kin's mom."

There was a pause on the end. Sabrina blankly stared at her apartment wall, the words almost not making it past her eardrum into the rational part of her brain. All irritation left; stolen with that brief description. "Adrien's...mother..." She dumbly repeated, brow furrowing.

Chloe hopped off the bed to the bathroom for a second towel when the evening chill threatened her ears too much. "Yep. In Menton. For the last...two weeks? Has it been that long already? It feels like three months."

"His MOTHER?!" Sabrina burst out, hopping to her feet. She paced in the sudden need to move, eyes whipping around the cold floor so she didn't trip on anything. "His mother is there?! What the hell! How did you find her? Why didn't you tell me before you left?! No wonder you're calling me!"

Thankfully, she had put the phone on the counter with speaker on so she could wrap her head and thus didn't get her eardrums blasted. She let Sabrina go on until she had the fabric tightly secured before taking it off speaker and heading to the thermostat and turn it up a few more degrees.

"Interested in taking a dew days off now? Maybe that week?" Chloe smiled.

"I can't believe...how can I just...Adrien's mother is there and...a whole week? Does it have to be that long? What about those three days? I can be there in a few hours and be there for three days, then head home. I could probably get away with that... Could we make it over the weekend? I don't work then and then I could take off early Friday and a late Monday..."

"The weekend is too far away for you to help me do anything productive. I'll have this puzzle figured out by the time you get down here." Chloe's smile grew. "I have a meat shop and cafe who have at least told me that she goes there a few times a month. Though, there was some incentive to it."

"Stop bribing people! I told you that's practically against the law!" Sabrina fumed with a frown.

"Only if other people get wind of what's going on." Chloe waved off. "Thanks to a cab driver though, I found out that she leaves her house by ten if she's going to go somewhere."

"This is why I can't let you go anywhere by yourself!" Sabrina retorted. She marched to the closet and threw the door open. Her free hand grabbed a carry-on bag and tossed it on the bed. She turned and grabbed the ear piece off its charger and put it in her ear. She left her cell near the charger with the bluetooth activated and went back to her phone. "You're going to tell me everything once I get there."

"I can give you the short version right now. Marinette heard what happened from Gabriel and started this whole thing to make it so that Adrien can see his mom face-to-face. End of story."

"What the hell? After what happened with the bet, why did she even agree to meet with him again?"

"Who knows; who cares. It's done and I wanna get you down here so you can help me with this."

"I suppose someone rational has to be there if anyone will."

"Hey now!"

"I can't go this very minute, but I'll talk to the big guy and see about leaving tomorrow night. Monetary compensation isn't going to be good enough though. This is going to cost me a few months of extra work if I don't lose my job over this."

"Well plan on a second break soon. Once I get out of here, the four of us are coming back to let Adrien see her. I'm not sure what Marinette has up her sleeve, but you'll want to be here for support. You know Adri-kins is probably going to blow his top somehow. As his long-term friends, it's our job to be there for when he needs us."

"This is getting too complicated for its own good." Sabrina mumbled. Moments later, Chloe ended the call and Sabrina stood in the slight disarray of her bedroom. She stared at the open closet for what felt longer than it had probably been before putting her face in her hands. "Too damn complicated..." She groused.

The last few times she'd been involved with Chloe or Adrien or Marinette, it was almost a storm that she wanted to hide from. She couldn't imagine something good was going to come out of the whole Adrien-meeting-his-mother bit, but it had already started and there wasn't much to be done to stop it. All she could do was damage control.

Hands went through her hair. Marinette...she needed to know just what she might unleash if she put those two together. Years ago, it might have been okay, but now it could only be detrimental. While she knew Adrien loved his mother very much despite all that had happened, he might release a lot of pent-up frustration at her disappearance should they meet.

'I need to call her as soon as I can...'

What time was it right now? Darkness outside meant nothing with as short as the days were. Sabrina went for her phone, finding it merely the dinner hour. Her lips pressed together for a second before opening her chat log.

 _Call_ _me_ _whenever_ _you're_ _not_ _near_ _Adrien._ _It's_ _about_ _this_ _stunt_ _you_ _have_ _Chloe_ _doing_ _right_ _now._

While she knew that Marinette was done with school, she had no idea what she was doing or where she was living right now. This was supposed to be a secret from Adrien and if Marinette couldn't get away to speak to her in private, they'd have to meet for coffee soon.

"Ah...shit..." Green eyes squeezed shut.

She had to be on a plane soon! She couldn't! She finally tossed her lenses on the bed with an annoyed sigh. "They couldn't have brought me in on this any sooner!" She growled. "Some of us have normal jobs you know!" She nearly yelled at the phone.

It took that moment to ring.

She picked it up, finding Marinette's face on the screen. Without thinking, she swiped on the phone icon and answered the call.

"Hey Sabrina...what's up? How did you finally find out about this? Chloe said she was gonna talk to you about it a long time ago."

"I had work..." Sabrina grit out. She was about ready to start in on the woman when a constant sound drew her attention first. "What is that...clicking...? What are you doing?"

"Working. I have an order I need to get out for someone's birthday soon. I'm at my parent's now so I can talk and work."

Sabrina's brows went up. "What?! Are you living there? Whatever happened to living with Adrien?"

The noise stopped, raised brow going to the other side of the chaise lounge. "Who said that was going to happen? I don't have that kind of cash right now and I'm not having him foot that kind of bill every month, plus I'd only end up annoying the neighbors in the middle of the night anyway... To say nothing of being unable to get anything done with him sleeping in the same vicinity. He's been highly patient as it is with the mess in my room and with what it looks like right now, I'm trying to contain it to my section of the building." The knitting needles resumed the pattern she had been working on when she got Sabrina's text.

The sound shook Sabrina from her stupor enough to remember how mad she was at the latest blunder. "That's not why I called anyway. Why are you having Chloe find Adrien's mother?"

"Uh...so they can meet?"

"That's the problem!" A hand slapped her forehead. "I don't think you've thought this through."

"Yes I have. I already went over this with Chloe and if I can make her see reason, you should be able to, too."

"All I can see is how much you're going to mind-fuck Adrien over this." Sabrina retorted.

"It'll be good in the end. I know he'll be upset; that's a given. But there is so much more to this than that."

"...What do you know...?"

Marinette left nothing out. The plethora of Adrien's feelings concerning his mother, the info she received from Gabriel about his wife and her feelings on the two meeting, and why she knew this was right. Everything was there, more than what Chloe was given, though Chloe already knew all that anyway. While Sabrina had been there for Adrien's issues way more than Marinette had, there was still new info that she had never heard before now. Sabrina didn't know anything from his mother's side and it made her pause.

"I still have a bad feeling about this." Sabrina mumbled, rubbing her chin.

"You're going to have to trust me on this." Marinette replied. "Even though I haven't known him as long as the two of you have, he's told me more than he probably has to either of you. I wanna believe in this and see if through. Besides," she sardonically grinned, "if we DON'T get Adrien down there soon, Chloe is going to be furious with me."

Sabrina snorted. "That I'll agree to." She rested on the bed, eyes on the ceiling. "Alright. I'll trust you with this. I'm going to be heading down soon, too." She went into detail on the conversation she just had with Chloe and the latest development. "When do you think you can get all four of us down there? I need to discuss this with my boss so we can plan. Please try to make it sometime in February; I'll have second quarter payments to prep for way before March shows up."

"His next vacation time isn't until April when the semester is over." She reported, head shaking. "I knew it would probably take an entire month to find his mother, so I made Chloe take the entire time. That and she didn't need to feel rushed with such a vague job." She smiled. "I've seen what she's kept me up-to-date on; she's been quite productive down there."

"So I've heard..." Sabrina retorted, giving the ceiling a dry look. "Please don't encourage such behavior. I don't like being an accomplice to low-level, criminal activity."

"It's not so bad once you get used to it." Marinette kidded. The laughter quickly died down at how lucky she had been in not going to jail and she cleared her throat. "I know that Chloe is going to want us all down there the day after she finds his mom, but there's going to be something of a gap. Once she establishes the basis of a daily pattern, we can use that in confidence that we'll be able to find her. That's partially why she's down there, too." She grinned again. "I figured she might want something constructive to do over the winter since she's always so bored."

Sabrina clapped a hand over her eyes. "She's going to make me go deaf before this is all over. Spare my ears, you hear?" She heaved a sigh, mind working a little with the large amount of information she had received in the span of a few hours. "February might be better for my work because it's in between tax form filing, but they have a festival there at that time which is going to increase the populace enough to make it difficult to find her, even if we know what she does on a regular basis." Sabrina sat up, thoughtful eyes idly dancing around her bed. She suddenly hopped off it and grabbed her phone, looking up the town's events to find out when they needed to avoid. "Looks like it goes for almost a month from the end of February till the beginning of March. It might be used as an excuse to get him down there if you don't want him to know why we're really there, but it'd be a bit of a stretch. Chloe and I exhausted the wine search down there years ago and I doubt they've come up with anything else so soon."

"Do they have anything in the spring that I can use as a spring vacation excuse?"

"Umm...not really..." Sabrina scrolled through the internet, not finding anything promising. "The Lemon Festival is the only spring thing they have with nothing until June and I doubt you want to wait that long. Can you use your art as an excuse to get down there?"

The knitting needles paused as she thought, lips scrunched up. "What is the festival about? Just lemons?"

"There's a parade, lots of exhibits, dancing, music, and then there's the dishes. It's a huge crop for them, so it's all about lemons."

"It sounds like that's the gamble we'd have to take. What are the dates for this year's festival?"

"Middle of February till beginning week in March." Sabrina reported, mind whirling. "This site says they have over two hundred thousand people attend! That'd be trouble for what you want to do."

Marinette smiled. "But, if it's so big, it might just draw out his mother in the meantime. I was hoping that we could wander around the city to explore and use that as an excuse in hopes of bumping into her, but this would be even better." The smile disappeared. "The issue is where would she be at and when? We can't pinpoint that, so we'd have to be there for a while. I don't know if we can get Chloe to behave for that long, let alone sound like she actually wants to go."

Sabrina smirked. "That's probably the biggest thorn in this whole thing. Chloe doesn't give a shit about stuff like that unless lemon is in a meringue. I'll have to figure out a way to get her to act for the time we're there and make sure we've got hotel rooms far enough away for her to complain without Adrien hearing."

Marinette giggled. "Sounds like we've got what we need. If the festival goes on that long, you have some extra time to work with. If we get there sometime in the middle, I might be able to swing a sense of urgency at missing the whole thing and try to bring enough sketchbooks along to make it believable. I can't use it for my clothing line, but we can try to work in Chloe's being there to our advantage, too."

"I see where you're going. I'll inform her of all this when I get there and do what I can." Sabrina sighed at the sudden weight of what just settled on her back. "I'm still leery about this, but the more you talk about it, the more I wanna do it. I guess this is how you convinced Chloe, huh?"

Marinette smiled. "I just gave her the little push she needed for something she had the means to do. A little sweet talking was all it took."

Sabrina rolled her eyes and ran an agitated hand through her hair. "You're scary. I forgot about that deceptive side of you. Maybe it's a good idea Chloe doesn't like you that much yet. You two would be hell if you ever got together."

"Perish the thought!" Marinette laughed.


	93. The lemon festival

" _How_ _the_ _hell_ _did_ _you_ _even_ _find_ _out_ _about_ _this?"_

" _You_ _want_ _the_ _honest_ _truth?_ _It's_ _kind_ _of_ _odd_ _actually._ _Chloe_ _was_ _down_ _south_ _for_ _the_ _month_ _of_ _January_ _in_ _the town itself._ _Apparently_ _she_ _was_ _scouting_ _for_ _something_ _and_ _Sabrina_ _had_ _to_ _go_ _down_ _to_ _help_ _her_ _because_ _she_ _was_ _really_ _frustrated_ _after_ _week_ _two_ _and_ _it_ _took_ _a_ _long_ _time._ _Sabrina_ _wanted_ _me_ _to_ _call_ _her_ _at_ _the_ _end_ _of_ _January_ _so_ _I_ _did_ _and_ _she_ _ended_ _up_ _telling_ _me_ _about_ _this_ _thing_ _called_ _the_ _Lemon_ _Festival._ _I_ _looked_ _it_ _up_ _and_ _it_ _seems_ _kind_ _of_ _interesting._ _We_ _haven't_ _been_ _able_ _to_ _spend_ _much_ _time_ _together_ _since_ _I_ _graduated_ _and_ _you_ _moved_ _back_ _home,_ _so_ _I_ _thought_ _it_ _would_ _be_ _fun._ _I_ _don't_ _remember_ _the_ _last_ _time_ _I've_ _been_ _to_ _the_ _southern_ _part_ _of_ _the_ _country._ _Actually,_ _I_ _don't_ _think_ _I_ _ever_ _have_ _now_ _that_ _I think about it."_

" _I_ _wondered_ _why_ _I_ _hadn't_ _heard_ _anything_ _from_ _her_ _for_ _a_ _month._ _I_ _figured_ _she_ _fled_ _to_ _Jamaica_ _or_ _the_ _Bahamas_ _till_ _spring_ _hit_ _up_ _here."_

" _You_ _damned_ _rich_ _people..."_

" _Hey._ _I_ _don't_ _flaunt_ _my_ _status...too_ _much."_

" _Well_ _this_ _is_ _the_ _one_ _time_ _I'd_ _like_ _you_ _to_ _do_ _so._ _I_ _have_ _no_ _problem_ _with_ _the_ _plane_ _ticket,_ _but_ _could_ _you_ _cover_ _the_ _hotel_ _this_ _once?_ _You_ _know_ _I'll_ _pay_ _you_ _back_ _somehow_ _with_ _food_ _or_ _money_ _later._ _I'll_ _put_ _my_ _business_ _aside_ _when_ _April_ _hits_ _and_ _we'll_ _do_ _something_ _or_ _you_ _can_ _stay_ _over_ _or...I_ _dunno._ _We_ _can_ _figure_ _that_ _out_ _later._ _This_ _goes_ _on_ _for_ _three_ _weeks_ _and_ _it_ _seems_ _like_ _we'd_ _miss_ _the_ _first_ _week_ _of_ _everything_ _if_ _we_ _don't_ _get_ _a_ _plane_ _ticket_ _soon."_

" _Don't_ _want_ _to_ _ride_ _the_ _train_ _and_ _save_ _money?"_

" _Emergency_ _option._ _I_ _don't_ _want_ _to_ _waste_ _the_ _time_ _on_ _this_ _one._ _There's_ _supposed_ _to_ _be_ _all_ _kinds_ _of_ _cool_ _stuff_ _going_ _on,_ _but_ _the_ _longer_ _we_ _wait,_ _the_ _more_ _we_ _miss."_

" _While_ _I'm all for_ _an_ _adventure,_ _it_ _just_ _seemed_ _kind_ _of_ _odd_ _that_ _Chloe_ _is_ _going_ _with_ _us._ _I_ _could_ _see_ _if_ _Sabrina_ _went,_ _but_ _Chloe_ _doesn't_ _like_ _that_ _kind_ _of_ _stuff."_

" _I_ _hear_ _there's_ _a_ _bunch_ _of_ _restaurants_ _that_ _do_ _lemon dishes._ _There_ _aren't_ _a_ _whole_ _lot_ _of_ _places_ _because_ _it's_ _a_ _small_ _town,_ _but_ _Chloe_ _said_ _she_ _wanted_ _to_ _try_ _a_ _few_ _and_ _see_ _if_ _they_ _could_ _be_ _used_ _at_ _her_ _father's_ _restaurant."_

" _Is_ _she_ _going_ _to_ _be_ _joining_ _us_ _for_ _the_ _events?_ _I_ _can't_ _imagine_ _her_ _doing_ _that_ _either..."_

" _When_ _I_ _talked_ _to_ _Sabrina_ _about_ _that,_ _she_ _said_ _that_ _Chloe_ _would_ _be_ _on_ _her_ _best_ _behavior._ _I_ _don't_ _know_ _what_ _that_ _means_ _though."_

" _I_ _do._ _It_ _means_ _she'll_ _complain_ _when_ _she's_ _alone_ _so_ _we_ _don't_ _have_ _to_ _hear_ _it."_

" _Ah..._ _So,_ _tickets._ _Yes_ _or_ _no?_ _If_ _we_ _don't_ _hurry,_ _the_ _hotels_ _will_ _be_ _filled_ _up_ _fast._ _Sabrina_ _said_ _it_ _draws_ _in_ _a_ _huge_ _number_ _of_ _people_ _and_ _they_ _just_ _went_ _down_ _to look into places_ _to_ _stay."_

None of it was a lie, really it wasn't. The things she explained really happened but, had she said just what Chloe was looking for, it would have ruined everything. The festival didn't sound like a huge event despite the numbers it drew in and she didn't really know what to expect, so she packed enough art supplies to make it look convincing. With as much drawing as she had done when they were in Milan and the little in Berlin, Adrien had the history of her whipping out a sketchpad without thinking twice. If she wanted to draw lemon floats, he would just shrug his shoulders and find a place to sit down and wait.

The whole thing was going a little too well. The setup almost fell into her lap and she wondered if they were either forgetting to do something, or they were going about this too naively. She was prepared for Adrien's outburst though, whatever it might be. Chloe and Sabrina had returned momentarily when January was done so Chloe could change and "get used to modern society" as she put it, but they were back down there now.

It wasn't a lie in that the crowds would be huge or that the hotels sold out fast. Chloe was going to use the excuse of the house she kept renting after she left so they had a place to stay. Since Menton was small, everything was booked and Nice was taking up the slack since it was only a thirty minute train ride away. Sabrina said there were plenty of rooms for them all so no one had to share a bed, just a place to eat.

It was a dangerous move for them to be in the same building together if Chloe lost it, but Sabrina informed her that everything was maxed out for the entire time. If the bit about Chloe going for the food and not the floats could be believed, then it didn't matter too much if she complained about the town and the lack of things to do for her tastes. Adrien would chalk it up to her frustration at the lack of places the size of Paris and leave it at that.

"Are you getting excited?"

Click.

"I am." She admitted, tightening the belt strap with a smile. She looked to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "We haven't been on a trip since Berlin and that feels like forever ago. Not like I have school to get back to or anything, but it'll be good to let the pin pricks on my fingers heal. I almost gave the inner web on my left hand a blister from those knitting needles lately."

He looked to her hands, taking her fingers and kissing her knuckles. "Stop working so hard, my lady."

"Speak for yourself. You just got off a catwalk like a day ago and now you're hopping on a plane and skipping classes." Her brow furrowed as she found his eyes. "How DID you convince your professors that you'd be gone for four days anyway?"

He waved off her confusion. "I'm in and out of that school so often, they should just put a revolving door for me." He cracked with a grin. He adjusted a little when the plane started backing up to the runway. "As far as they're concerned, I'm still doing model stuff. Even if I wasn't, I have a handy, living textbook of someone who's fresh out of the program to get me back on track."

"That was first year stuff. I don't know how quickly I can remember that."

He smirked. "If you haven't thrown your notes away, I'll use them and get caught up on anything I don't happen to already know. Maybe I can get ahead and finish out the semester so I can flitter away somewhere else in March before my leg tapping annoys all my classmates instead of just the ones directly around me."

She snorted. "I should have let you use them on the plane to Nice or the final train there. Then you would've been able to just test out of the entire semester by the time you get back."

The plane only went to Nice, not Menton. A town with such a low populace didn't have an airport, just a train station to one that did. Once they got to Nice, they were going to hop on a train to Menton and then meet up with Chloe and Sabrina via taxi to wherever they were staying. She checked out the train option and wrinkled her nose at it once she saw how many stops they'd possibly have to make, the larger cost for the train, and the half day they'd miss just getting there. If they flew from Paris to Nice, it was only a few hundred euro, not including the train from Nice to Menton, which was pretty much the same price, but the time difference was huge. It was more convenient to take the plane and just take a small train ride to their final destination.

She planned on making a stop in the bathroom at Nice before they left to update Sabrina on their whereabouts and get any other info so she could be prepared. It was only the middle of the day right now and she expected to be there by the late afternoon. If they were lucky, they could start with the whole "lemon restaurant taste-test" thing and get him into the web.

She scowled. When she thought of it that way, it sounded like they were trapping him into this, but they weren't! This was for his benefit and she knew how much he wanted to meet his mother again. She had uncles and aunts in China that she'd love to see if she had the time and money to meet them. She knew the pain of a family member being so far away for whatever reason and while it wasn't the exact same thing, it was a little of what he was going through. If someone offered her the chance to meet her beloved family she hadn't seen since the end of high school, she'd jump at the opportunity. With him, the option was there and she was going to make him take it.

01010

"Shit this place is busy! Sabrina wasn't kidding about the numbers!"

Another person bumped past her trying to get off the nonexistent train platform and she stumbled into Adrien again. "I'm going to deck someone if they can't say a single 'excuse me'!" She grumbled in Mandarin, unable to keep her voice down.

He picked up his suitcase and wrapped his arm around hers to keep her close. "Stay by my side, my lady. You won't lose a foot this way."

"Or my luggage." Suspicious blue looked around the herd trying to get out of the train station. If one could even call it that. The place was tiny and maybe even the size of the short train! Of course, she was used to the sprawling layout of Paris, so anything would be minuscule compared to that. "You have your wallet in a safe place, right?"

He scoffed as they filtered past the narrow door and through the equally narrow building. He could almost see the exit from the back of the doors they passed through and wondered just how small Menton was. He had never heard of it until now and didn't even know where it was on a map. He was going by everyone else's information and only helping where he could.

They got down the handful of steps and she started looking around for either blond or red hair. There were a lot of taxis in the parking lot and she wasn't going to start guessing which one was theirs. Would they have parked farther away to get out quicker?

"Over here! Marinette! Adrien!"

She whipped to the area her name was coming from and found Sabrina waving from almost the center group of taxis. She gave the woman an dry look before tugging Adrien in her direction. "If they waited in the car the whole time, I'm going to have words with that woman..."

He grinned and weaved around the other taxis. "Does that surprise you? It's probably too cold for her right now."

She huffed and stopped in front of the open door Sabrina was lightly leaning on. "You couldn't even come out of there to greet us?"

The other door suddenly opened and Chloe gave her a raised brow once she was visible. "It's not even March yet; don't test me. I've not been in a good mood since this damn place exploded with people and citrus!"

He grinned and shook his head. "I'm amazed you're still here to be honest, but good of you to stick it out. How adult of you."

"Stick it, Adri-kins!" Chloe nearly glared with a pout. "I don't need your shit right now!"

"She's quite hungry." Sabrina butt in with a slight wince. "Places are really full and, as she put it, hasn't had a decent meal since the festival started almost two weeks ago."

His brow rose. "I thought it started on the seventeenth?"

"Prep work, Adrien. People with time on their hands swarmed here a few days before that even started in order to get hotel rooms." Sabrina sighed and shook her head. "The whole area is sold out and has been all week. We ended up with a furnished house so we didn't have to take the train to and from Nice every day."

"No way am I putting up with that bullshit." Chloe retorted. "Now get in, let's go get you settled, and then someone is making me dinner! The restaurants have been packed to the max and Sabrina didn't call ahead enough to get reservations. We're going to have to try tomorrow."

"She got you two your own taxi. It's going to follow us." Sabrina finished, getting back in and shutting the door.

They turned to find a middle-aged man leaning against his open door, watching them and nodding when they made eye contact. He helped get their small amount of luggage in the trunk while they got in the back and buckled up. Once he was buckled up as well, the other taxi headed off...and stopped not much further out of the station.

"Kick back and relax, kids." The driver reported. "The place is going to be traffic heavy for a while. Luckily you have a good patron who doesn't care about money." He grinned.

She smirked. "I'd rather pay for the drive myself to get away from that hunger-fueled irritation."

He wrapped an arm around her and tugged her to him with a smile. "You get that way too sometimes, my lady." He briskly rubbed her arm for a second. "Give Chloe some credit. She doesn't know a ladle from a stir spoon and has probably been making Sabrina cook while those two have been here. It's going to be hell getting into any restaurant at this point it sounds like. Not too sure why they wanted to come down during the festival when they could have waited for it to be over."

"Lots of special things come out during the festival, son." The driver replied, eyes on the line of cars ahead. "She was smart to get here when she did. The mass amount of lemons that came in are not just used for decoration. Everyone pulls off something while the festival is going on."

She didn't think the driver would help the setup so much, but this was going too perfectly. She snuck her phone out and pulled up Sabrina's text history, keeping an eye on Adrien to make sure he wasn't watching. He was busy looking around the new area, though she was still cautious of her word choosing.

 _Sorry to make you go through Chloe's stomach hunger. Had I known such a thing would happen, I would've brought snacks from the bakery._

Less than a minute later, she got a reply.

 _Chloe does get testy when she gets hungry, but she figured a disgruntled Chloe was better to put Adrien in that mood he gets in when we both roll our eyes at her behavior and move on. Less suspicious that way._

She quickly hid the cell and put it away before Adrien could see that. It was too close to giving away more than any of them had said up until this point.

The taxis soon stopped at an almost Spanish-style looking house. It was definitely big enough for the four of them and she wondered if this was the place Chloe rented when she was here in January.

"I'm not surprised." He murmured with a wry grin, taking in the large place. He looked over when there were almost simultaneous car door slams near them. "How much is this putting you out?" He asked.

Chloe shrugged. "Don't know, don't even care. I required something of an updated area to sleep in with this whole place being so old. The kitchen is pretty big, even if I don't know how to use it. Marinette gets to pull first duty tonight though for making me meet you guys here with Sabrina when I could have just waited in the living room on my phone and some coffee. Being a baker's daughter and all that, you should know how to cook something other than sweets with all that expertise, right?"

She gave Chloe a raised brow as she was handed her suitcase. "I manage..." She retorted, following Sabrina to the front door once the taxis pulled away. She smiled Adrien's way when the pull of her luggage was suddenly lessened and held the door open when he headed for it.

White. There was a lot of white and black staring at her once she walked past the small entryway into the huge room that made up the dining room, kitchen, and living room. It didn't fit the exterior of the building with its pink stucco and almost Spanish-style roof tiles. Not that the design was bad, it was actually very much like Adrien's home in color choice and chic furniture selection actually, she just didn't expect such a thing when she walked in.

"It's nice." Adrien broke in as Sabrina walked around him. He shouldered the carry-on a little higher when it started to slip and tugged his rolling luggage further inside. "Very homey. Not overly done. Good lighting. I like it."

"This isn't a critique on the home-owners, Adri-kins." Chloe mused as she patted his shoulder. "Stairs are over there. You guys can take the empty room. The family made a small baby room for other people, so there's no bed for adults there right now. That door is shut and the others are open."

"I'll show you." Sabrina waved, opening the door for the stairs. She led the three upstairs and stopped in her open doorway. "I'm in here and I've got something of a bathroom connected to the room, so you guys can take the one here." She pointed.

The bathrooms were nice. A lot darker than downstairs, but the color variation was interesting. The floors didn't match in style, but that was part of the charm. She liked the place, though she didn't intend on asking how much this was putting Chloe out for however long she stayed and was going to continue.

Their room had a lot more white, but she didn't intend on staying in it long. White floors, white furniture, white bedspread...too much really. "Don't people understand anything about the color wheel?" She groused, nose wrinkling. "I really wanna put something on this armoire..."

"Control yourself in front of a blank canvas, my lady." Adrien cracked, hand plopping on her shoulder. He opened the window and looked out. "Nice view at least..."

They had the ocean and a chunk of the neighborhood from the higher elevation and upper level of the house. It was nice and she kind of wanted to sit out on the backyard pool area and admire it, but they had things to do here that didn't involve looking at the ocean...unless a certain someone was already there.

"Don't tell Chloe this, but she has good taste." She mumbled with a wry grin.

Adrien chuckled. "I'll have to swear you to secrecy on that part so her head doesn't puff up past the living room and keep us from moving around."

"Done? If we don't get food in Chloe soon, she's going to be blaring enough hot air to heat the stove for us."

She turned and met Sabrina's eyes, locking with green for longer than was necessary. It was a silent means of communication and she nodded, smile dropping a little. "Yea...we don't want anything like that happening. I may just end up chewing her head off again before this whole thing is over."

"Please be civil. We're going to be in the same house for four days and she's already annoyed about this place as it is." Adrien nearly pleaded. He wrapped an arm around Marinette's waist and kissed the top of her head. "You wanted to include her more in our lives so now is the best time to do it."

"I'm working on it, but history has a tendency of repeating itself."

"I talked to her before you two came down and she's going to try and be as helpful as possible." Sabrina subtly hinted, still eying Marinette.

She was starting to get tense. They were discussing things in code because they could no longer speak openly. She didn't even want to go over anything once Adrien fell asleep tonight unless they were sitting in silence and texting each other on their phones in case he woke up. That part would be annoying for the typing, but one wrong word and the whole thing would be ruined. They were so close and all they had to do was put the right timing and situation together. She was ready to act a little sillier than usual if it meant shoving him forward when the moment was right.

She shoved that aside as she went for the kitchen, brows going up at all the stainless steel, very new appliances. They were so shiny and clean that she wondered if anyone even used the place often. Chloe wouldn't have used anything during the month she was here, so that helped. "Damn, they even have a microwave?" She blurted out. Fingertips lightly ran down the handles on the fridge doors. "Mama and papa would be very appreciative of this refrigerator..."

"It doesn't have much in it though, just be warned." Sabrina added with a cringe. "I didn't buy much yet because we were trying to get settled and I didn't leave much in the fridge when we came back at the end of January. We managed to eat out when we first got here, so it's not exactly full."

Blue eyes took in the mass spaces of white from the interior. "Not exactly full" was a gross overestimate. There was milk, a few eggs, some cheese, a few vegetables, and some fruits. She slowly shut the door, face blank and mind whirling at how the hell she was supposed to make dinner for four with that.

"Yea...you're going to need to make a trip." Chloe added from the bar eatery she was leaning over. She grinned when she met Marinette's eyes. "I just so happen to know of a great place that you can get some meat from, too. You should take Sabrina along though. She's been around the area with me a bit the last time we were here, so she knows a few things."

Marinette's eyes widened a little, heart pounding a little faster. 'So soon? I didn't think such a thing would happen just after we got here!'

Sabrina stopped next to Chloe and lightly nudged her. "I didn't think we'd need to get groceries so soon, but it might be a good time to do so. There's one near here, but the one Chloe found has a larger selection and we might want the taxi to take everything back. The meat shop is small, but they have a lot of good stuff."

Marinette met Sabrina's eyes, getting a tiny nod and her jaw tensed. "Ah...well...I suppose there's no helping it then... I didn't think we'd have to...go shopping right after we got here, but I guess we're just lucky..."

"What are you three talking about? Let's just get our coats and head out. I'm sure the place is fine." Adrien broke in, making Marinette jump a tad.

"Adri-kins, you go grab the coats upstairs. I'll call a cab, and Sabrina and Marinette can watch for it." Chloe piped up, taking the reigns as if nothing had happened.

Marinette followed Sabrina to the doorway when they split to do as ordered, adrenaline going a little. "I didn't think we'd be doing this now!" She hissed, trying to whisper as quietly as possible. A hand snaked out and latched onto Sabrina's arm. "I'm not mentally prepared! I can't support him like this! I'll just make things worse!"

"That's why I'm going with." Sabrina murmured, reaching into her purse. She held up her cell, screen black. "We'll keep contact with this and split up once we get to the grocery store. I wasn't lying about what I said, but she uses only that because it's closer to where she lives. It won't be that long of a drive for Adrien to get suspicious, and she has a habit of getting fresh supplies for dinner a few times a week. Sometimes she changes up her days, but otherwise what we saw was fairly regular." Sabrina tapped her phone to turn the screen on for the time. "Odds are good that she's there right now if we leave the second the taxi gets here. We'll be there for a while to get enough for the trip here, so keep your fingers crossed."

"Fingers crossed for what?"

Both Marinette and Sabrina shrieked a little when Adrien broke into the end of the conversation. Dual pairs of wide eyes looked his way, getting confusion directed back at them.

Marinette's mouth gaped open and closed a few times, fear hitting hard. "Sabrina...s – she meant...food...time...grocery store and four days...um...lucky that -"

"What she's trying to explain," Sabrina calmly broke in, "is that we've got a bit of a drive and we're going to be at the store for a while to get enough food to last us for our whole trip so we don't have to be there the whole time. With the traffic, we need to keep our fingers crossed that we make it back before the food goes bad or Chloe eats one of us the second we walk in the door."

Marinette rapidly nodded with an odd laugh. "Y – yea! That! Sorry...I – I'm...I'm stuttering again...oh god...it's so embarrassing..." Hands covered her face, mentally cursing how she was unable to keep up the charade with as much as she had tried to get everything going.

"It was annoying back then as it is now." Chloe suddenly retorted, arm over Adrien's shoulder. She looked at the trio, brows going up at Adrien's slight irritation and Sabrina's shock. "What? It was. But, being the friend I'm attempting to be, I'm putting up with it." She waved off whatever the trio was going to say and held up her phone. "They found a driver nearby and the car will be here in five so you'd best keep those eyeballs peeled on the door. This better be a fruitful trip because I could be out eating tonight, so we might as well make the best of it with this errand."

"I'm sure you'll survive." Adrien retorted with a grin.

True to Chloe's prediction, the taxi pulled up by the time everyone bundled up for the drive and climbed in the car. Marinette requested to take the front with the excuse that Sabrina could point out the fun parts of the town to Adrien. She whipped out her phone while he was distracted and couldn't really see her, and pulled up her chat log.

 _I can't tell if you're doing this as part of the charade or you're defaulting back ten years._

She quickly turned the ring tone to vibrate when she received a text back.

 _It's working and Adri-kins doesn't suspect a thing. If you'd stop making the whole situation tense and almost give everything away, I wouldn't have to be so annoying. One of these days, he's going to let me have it for doing such things to you and then I'll have to sit and put up with it._

 _While I don't have a problem for that, I'll try to take it in stride since I know you're diffusing the situation. It's actually been working quite well._

 _Yea, well you'd better pick up your game so you don't blow two months of hard work! Now that you're here, you need to figure out just where and how you want to shove those two together. You have less than four days now, so start wracking your brains so I can get excuses together and take him to all of the spots she frequents._

 _Menton house inspiration:_

 _airbnb com/rooms/7551057?adults=4 &children=0&infants=0&guests=4&location=Menton%2C%20France&check_in=2018-02-23&check_out=2018-03-01&s=l6a5xaM9_


	94. Sightings everywhere

Two days. He had been going crazy for two days.

Ever since that slightly strange setup at the Carrefour, which he still didn't understand the need for them to break up into groups when Sabrina never snatched a basket to grab things, to the slightly awkward conversation at the meat shop. He wanted to think that Marinette was just nervous with her interactions in a place that she had never been to, maybe worrying about the possible Italian language barrier, but her stuttering seemed out of place. Sabrina took up the slack and talked for her when it got fairly unintelligible, but there was just...something off.

Of course, he was probably attributing it to that color of blond he saw leaving the store when they walked into the checkout line.

It was a one second look. The woman was on her way out and only the back of her head was visible. A shawl went over her hair, a grocery bag tucked in one arm, as she passed through the automatic doors and it covered her features as she headed away.

He was close enough to the exit from where they were, but would've needed to get a little closer for a better look if the woman had turned around. Although...something nagged at him from the abrupt, odd squeeze of his heart that he wouldn't need to.

It was hard to pinpoint the sensation going through him. He was in a fog the whole time, unable to properly answer Marinette when she kept trying to ask him questions or make conversation with Sabrina while the cashier rang up their stuff. He carried a few of the bags to the taxi when it showed up, but felt too muddled in the head to speak up much.

He went to bed early, wondering if the sudden excitement had done something. With as much as he'd been around the world, he didn't think a new location would do anything to cause a sense of culture shock. He also took solace because Sabrina kept talking to him and Chloe wouldn't stop asking questions at a sudden interest in such a boring errand. Without a way to explain himself, he buried himself under the covers and let blissful sleep take him for the rest of that night.

He was fine until the next morning when they were in a cafe for Chloe's espresso and Sabrina's undeniable coffee crutch. Apparently, it had to be there because Chloe preferred the coffee in a cafe nowhere near their residence and didn't want to go through the hassle of using the coffeemaker in the house, though Sabrina usually make it for her in the past. Marinette went along without too much grumbling and ordered herself breakfast while they were there even though they had spent so much money on food maybe twelve hours ago.

It was the same color and now that he had seen it a second time, it burned into his memory a little better. It was the back of her head again, a scarf taking up most of the size of her shoulders with how it was wrapped around her neck. She was sitting with someone and quietly chatting, though the person that faced the blond was unknown to him.

It was hard to concentrate on food. The back of that head filled up the gap in his stomach after a night's rest and dropped it as far south as it would travel. He barely sipped the latte Chloe ordered for him, eyes constantly straying to the table on the other side of the slightly small cafe as far as they would go. He looked so much that the lady facing his general direction locked eyes with him and raised a brow. After that, he kept his eyes on the table more than up, pointedly looking at his three seat-mates and kept his hand next to his eyes as a makeshift blinder, though not in a way that would raise their suspicions. He couldn't put words to the hold that was coming over him, binding him, almost forcing him to look at the color of that head again and again.

Since he had on a spring hat and scarf set that Marinette made him upon his insistence to keep incognito while they were here with the huge populace, it made it a little easier to keep that one woman from approaching the table when they stood up and passed by behind him on their way out the door.

He wanted to jump out of his seat and hunt the pair down when a bout of receding laughter sent such a surge of adrenaline through his system so strong that he started shaking.

He waved of Marinette's concern and Chloe's questions about why there were suddenly tears in his eyes. He found three pairs of anxious, worried eyes looking right at him though lost to their voices with the rapid pace of his heart and the blood roaring in his ears. He quickly stood from his chair and scurried off for the bathroom, hand swiping at his eyes in sheer confusion. He locked the door to the near box he was cloistered in, trying to gulp air into his lungs.

That...sound... It...it was so familiar. Like a thought he used to have but hadn't considered in a long time. He stood there in the bathroom, leaning against the cold tile wall, idly staring at the ceiling with furrowed brows as he wracked his brain and tried to get his chest to stop heaving. Where had he heard that noise?

He wasn't calming down as he tried to think of where and when after minutes had passed. He didn't want anyone coming in after him and he was taking up a place he wasn't actually using, so he forced everything away to leave and not look awkward when he went back to the table.

Marinette rose to greet him, asking him questions that he hardly heard and didn't have the will to answer. He just shook his head, kissing her forehead with a sigh, and making an excuse about the coffee possibly hitting him harder in his stomach than he thought.

It was lame, but she didn't say anything or press further as he expected. He sat down, no one else going over his sudden outburst as they finished their bread and coffee. Sabrina and Marinette brought their dishes to the register, Chloe tugging him outside while they did so and then called a taxi. The pair met them outside a few moments later and Chloe demanded they start looking at restaurants now to find a lunch spot for later in the afternoon.

He sat in the back, Marinette almost in his lap with Sabrina scrunched in with them. Chloe refused to be squished together and stole the front before any of them could protest. He was fine enough, not worried that his girlfriend was sitting so close. He enjoyed getting a second of contact and used that to calm his frazzled nerves, the touch of her fingers going through his hand calming him.

At least until they drove past that same shock of blond hair in a split second that actually gave him a frontal view of her face.

It was too quick, but he got to see the visage of the stranger who was throwing him all over the place without meaning to. It was half of a second and the moment wasn't good enough, but it had him whipping toward the window as well as he could with his shoulder almost jammed against it, to see better as the car sped by the woman standing at the corner waiting to cross.

Sabrina was asking something and Chloe piped up from the front, but he didn't hear anything they had to say. His chest constricted with the same feelings at the cafe, but the opportunity to see her face made him almost urgent with the need to shout to the driver to stop the car. By the time the words formed in his mouth, they passed too far for him to turn and see out the back to find the woman.

She was gone to another part of the street, disappeared again before he could get answers to what seriously threatened his sanity.

He mumbled apologies at Marinette when he vaguely felt his elbow collide with her shoulder, lightly rubbing it to appease hurting her, though not recalling if he actually had or not. All that mattered was that one second glimpse to provide stronger clues that his head and, oddly enough, his heart desperately needed in that second. Marinette didn't yell at him for his behavior, just held his hand and gave his knuckles a kiss before tucking their hands in her lap.

The rest of that afternoon was a wash and he followed on autopilot, mind whirling without grasping at anything. That one second frame he was given, no matter how many times, wasn't enough to jog whatever was fogged over in his head. He couldn't raise the curtain and see clearly what he was missing, what was nagging in his emotions. Looking at the different things around the city might have taken the edge off his emotions, but didn't erase it entirely...only distracted him. He tried to soak in the bath in quiet that evening while the three were downstairs, but it only half soothed what remained.

Marinette was making dinner for them with the comment that they bought so much food and she didn't want it going to waste. Chloe didn't say much about it aside from a few comments on the flavor needing to be just right and the temperature not too hot as to burn her mouth, but otherwise was complacent. Marinette would come and get him before she dished everything onto plates so he could join them before anyone started eating.

He tried to bring back the sound of that laugh to his ears, but the quiet squashed it. He remained as still as he could so the sound of moving water didn't deter him, but it was still hard. Even as he stared holes into the white ceiling above, the color never changed to pale yellow. It all slipped from his grasp through the clouds of his feelings and had him frustrated that he had forgotten so quickly.

Dinner was good, as it always was, and even Chloe made mention of it. Marinette oddly took the rare compliments in good grace and he was happy she did. Chloe knew what good food was after having been around the world for years and it was her job. Her father's cook staff was all from Le Cordon Blue and also made recipes around what Chloe searched for. He was happy the pair seemed to call a truce while they ate; he didn't think his head could handle the bickering right now.

He went to bed early again that night, hoping for a respite from the day and how he had missed the festival entirely over the last two days with being so preoccupied over someone he didn't even know.

His dreams mocked him by providing the laughter he had sought out while awake.

The sound was glorious, heavenly, tear-inducing. He hadn't been able to breathe properly every time he heard it in the black, but a feeling of invading warmth and care mingled with the suffocation and made him want more. His desire to feel more of that strange cocoon was all-encompassing and he reached out unseen hands into the blackness to touch it and pull it into himself.

When he woke up, he found tracks on his face and Marinette asking him what he had dreamt about that had woken her around midnight to cries of sadness.

All he felt when she shook him awake was the inability to breathe and tears falling as if they had autonomous behavior. He clutched her to him, the feel of her arms wrapped around him and the skin of her cheek against his, the smell of the shampoo lingering in her hair, trying to bring him to his senses...to dull what was perhaps too awake. He stayed that way and she was quiet the entire time, not moving her arms or giving soothing words to calm him. The silence made him crazy, but it was pitch black and late...or early...and he didn't want to wake anyone up.

Only when he could stop crying well enough to feel in control of his own eyes did he let Marinette go and require she cuddle with him to keep him composed enough to fall back asleep. He needed the feel of her body tucked tight against him, his arms surrounding her and their fingers entwined to erase the fuzziness of his own skin and the inability to register her hands touching him.

01010

By the afternoon of day three, he wanted to go back to Paris early.

Any blond hair that he saw had him on edge. Whether it was the color of Chloe's head from the back or some other random stranger who was any shade of yellow. To make matters worse, he saw the companion of the blond stranger at the festival they were meandering around in.

He wanted to walk up to the woman, especially when he safely met her eyes through his sunglasses, but Marinette's grip on his hand kept him grounded enough to realize he'd be going up to an unknown person for a really weird reason.

He made excuses when she pulled her hand away with complaints about how he was crushing her fingers and kissed them in apology. He entwined their arms instead, hoping he didn't use too much unintended strength on her again and figuring his arm couldn't do that much damage. He let her tug him around the floats, hardly taking them in with his eyes straying back to the brunette he had seen at the cafe whenever they neared each other.

The woman looked middle-aged, but well-aged and he couldn't place just how old. He kept restraining himself anytime the urge to walk up to her almost forced his muscles to move in her direction and mentally berated himself for wanting to go ask questions he didn't even know how to phrase properly. So he tortured himself by seeing her amble around the floats that were open to the public, feeling like he was losing his grip on reality and the world he knew melted away to this strange insanity.

It felt like forever had passed and the afternoon sun started heading more toward the horizon. He wanted to shout at the trio that he didn't want to eat out, that he wanted those sterile white walls of their rented house to whatever place they were tugging him to now, but he couldn't find out where his tongue had fled to argue. He mutely shrugged to whatever suggestion Chloe kept asking him, looking away with an excuse that he didn't care where they ate because it would all be fine and let Marinette drag him around the area till they got to the main exit for a taxi to get to.

He stopped when the shock of blond hair sprung his nerves into action.

He was free to move about however he wanted. No vehicle to restrain him, no embarrassment to hold him down. It was that same color that he had seen enough to drive him crazy and he shook Marinette's hold off his arm to turn in its direction.

"Adrien, what are you doing? Let's go."

The back of the unknown head turned so quickly at his name being shouted that he had no time to prepare himself. No time to wonder what he was going to do aside from just stand there and try to figure out where he even was right now. To get air into his lungs when a face he knew, would remember multiple lifetimes from now, faced him as clear as day and close enough to make out.

Matching green eyes that he had inherited from her widened so much that he thought that the green would be swallowed up by all the white and vanish.

To make matters worse, a slight look of horror, or maybe surprise, took over her face before she whipped around and fled into the crowd.

His feet sprung into action and he nearly bowled down two random people, visitors probably, that dared walk in front of him in that second. He never felt them collide with his shoulder, nor the jolt to his arms as his head stayed faithfully ahead on the one person that he wanted to see more than anyone else right now.

"Adrien! Wait!"

Anything after that fell on deaf ears and the own huffing of his breath. His heart galloped around him with such a strange mix of elation and confusion. He kept trying to blink the tears out of his way to keep his vision clear in his search around dozens of people that were being too slow and getting in his way to witness the one person he never thought he'd see again.

His body didn't belong to him. His heart resided in a small, protected corner of his brain that he was well aware of in times of emotional overload. He ran on autopilot in more ways than one, letting his lungs work for him, his eyes scan the immediate area, and his heart provide the adrenaline he needed to hopefully catch up to her before he lost her again forever.

Oh...dear god...please...by all that was holy and loving...please!

He had never known desperation or sorrow such as this. Not even when he thought he was going to lose Marinette in the beginning did it tighten around his chest this hard. Not during that year he tried to be invisible to her and force himself from her life to not come in between her and Nathaniel. No...this emotion that overtook him was almost as powerful as the day he was told she was gone...as when he refused to believe it and searched the whole house and opened every closet door to find them empty.

'Mother...mother...mother!'

He pushed people aside, not even muttering apologies, head thrashing in both directions as he prayed to god with every fiber he possessed that such an opportunity not slip by. Not like this...he found her again after so many years and he wasn't going to lose this chance again!

Whether fate was going to be kind after being so cruel, there was a split second part in the masses and the shock of color that he had burned into his unconscious, in every memory since he was born, was visible and he tore off in her direction.

He ignored the yells of anger as he pushed someone down, making headway when she moved again. She must know from the outbursts that he was coming and she was intent on running away. His need to be close to her for even a second raged out of control at the discovery that she was trying to run away gain. Not again...never! He refused! He had the means to keep her from escaping his grasp now and he was going to do anything!

He grasped the shawl she always had on to hide her hair, intentional or not, and stopped her long enough to grab a hand and pull her to face him.

He was shaking like a leaf in a storm and couldn't catch his breath. He couldn't feel the amount of strength he was using on her, only the heat of her arm. His legs were numb, as was his chest. He watched her try to catch her breath, fearful, watery eyes looking at him. Anxiety, uncertainty, and hope mingled within that green he also possessed. Somehow, he took off his sunglasses and wiped the ever-present tears from his face long enough to take in her face clearly. They clacked to the ground in numb fingers and vanished from his recognition.

She had slightly aged, though not really. The corners of her eyes contained a few more crow's feet and the edges of her mouth showed the slight progression of time, but that was it. Her skin was flawless and vibrant as it ever had and he almost felt like he was a teenager again, back at the beginning.

He snapped to and yanked her to him, arms tightly wrapping around her.


	95. Running away again

She had always preferred the smell of one particular perfume for as long as he could remember and it had been burned into his psyche probably around elementary school. The second it made contact with his nose and the memory of her smiling face reached through the back of his eyelids, tears burst through like a waterfall and his arms clutched at her as if she were sand he was trying to hold onto.

He cracked from the very edge of his conscious, burying his face in her shoulder now that he was so much taller. Before, he had always been able to just barely reach to her collarbone and when she used to hug him, he would be mere centimeters away from the arteries she put that delectable smell over. Now, it assaulted his nose with every heave he as he gasped for breath, his mind falling over the back of her shoulder and splintering the second it hit the concrete below them.

He couldn't think, couldn't feel, just know that she was here in his arms. It stabbed his heart and bled in a gush; red pain coming out so fast that he stumbled and her arms came up to instinctively catch him. He mumbled her name in a loop, sniffling with every shaky inhale that broke the warped record. He couldn't pull away, didn't want to know what had happened to the outside world on the other side of his eyelids. He couldn't deal with that until he tried to begin processing this miracle first.

"A...drien... D – dear...boy... Please... It...it hurts... I – I can't...breathe..."

The words were a sledgehammer into his ears, jetting through the inner ear canal and into his brain. They lit up the sensors of memory, of every time his name was called with that smile he had in his photo logs, on his laptop, and computer at the mansion. He tightened his hold, unable to make sense of the strangled words.

"Let go! Hey, she said she can't breathe, Adri-kins!"

"Adrien, let go. It's okay. She won't run. Slacken your grip."

Hands and voices assaulted him from the dark cocoon of his mind and they felt like another lifetime ago. They were from a universe he knew he had traveled from, but wanted to avoid. He wanted to remain here, enveloped like this with shaking arms and tight breaths not making it past the cascading waves of his emotions. His eyes shot open when the hands touched him, slowly tugged on his fingers to release the death grip on the back of her clothing.

A pair of soft, concerned blue eyes met his, deep blue skies he had lost himself in on more than a million occasions. Warm skin with a strength he knew well kept trying to pull his fingers out of the sweater his mother had on.

Only when the shock of the outside world sent a lightening bolt through his brain and every vein in his body did he realize he was actually squeezing the life out of his mother and he jumped back like he was just shocked.

Sabrina gave a cry of surprise when the two bumped into each other and almost toppled to the ground. Quick shuffling kept them from getting skinned knees and cut palms, though Sabrina knew a few bruises would show up on her arms and her ankles would be smarting for a while after Adrien's tennis shoes stepped on them.

His eyes never left his mother. He stared in shock at what he'd almost done, unable to raise his arms to return the hug Marinette was giving him. He was too numbed as the world fast forwarded and interjected reality to the scenario. He watched his mother fidget and look away, try to meet his eyes again, and fail.

No...don't look down. It had been so long and the pictures were merely pointless gratification now. The real thing was in touching distance and not meeting his eyes. It broke his heart and the familiar squeeze was back and kept him from breathing properly. 'Please...look up...!'

"M...moth...er..." He mumbled, hardly able to make his mouth move. His jaw seemed stolen away somewhere along the entire thing and he couldn't figure out how to make it work again. He wanted to raise a hand to her, mentally saw himself do so, but neither would obey his commands. His skin was stolen with a stone coating and all he could do was stare at her, as he had done for almost every day on his phone since she left.

"A...Adrien... How...how did you find me...?"

"Isn't that obvious?!" Chloe burst out, bumping shoulders with him as she ran forward with teary eyes and tightly hugged the woman. "Mama Agreste..." She sniffled.

His mother startled, patting Chloe's back more from maternal instinct to the tears than actual comfort. She blinked a few times before trying to look at Chloe. "Chloe Bourgeois? What are you doing here? You're here, too?" Green eyes met his. "Did your father tell you where I was?"

He stared for what felt like forever, unable to put her words together, to make sense of them in a language that he had used since he knew what speaking was about. He had been told that she had disappeared with no other information. It was abrupt, mysterious, and a black hole which had eaten his life for so long that he became used to it. He was never given anything else and the one or two attempts to figure out the situation were fruitless.

He suddenly looked down to the raven hair under his chin.

 _"I_ _met_ _with_ _your_ _father_ _today..._ _I_ _didn't_ _want_ _to_ _go_ _and_ _part_ _of_ _me_ _still_ _doesn't_ _like_ _it_ _for...specific_ _reasons,_ _but...it_ _turned_ _out_ _okay."_

 _0_

" _How_ _the_ _hell_ _did_ _you_ _even_ _find_ _out_ _about_ _this?"_

" _Chloe was down south for the month of January in the town itself. Apparently she was scouting for something."_

" _I wondered why I hadn't heard anything from her for a month."_

 _0_

" _It's going to be hell getting into any restaurant at this point it sounds like. Not too sure why they wanted to come down during the festival when they could have waited for it to be over."_

 _0_

" _I just so happen to know of a great place that you can get some meat from, too. You should take Sabrina along though. She's been around the area with me a bit the last time we were here, so she knows a few things."_

" _Ah...well...I suppose there's no helping it then... I didn't think we'd have to...go shopping right after we got here, but I guess we're just lucky..."_

" _What are you three talking about? Let's just get our coats and head out."_

It had been in his face the entire time. Before they arrived to the town. The reason was a complete cover-up, but it was legit. It was well thought out and he had never questioned it once she had given him the reasons. He didn't look into it because he went by her word, figuring she genuinely wanted to do this.

Hands shot out and tightly gripped Marinette's shoulders, getting a wince when his nails dug past her clothing, the size of his larger hands squeezing tendon and bone where they didn't belong.

He stared at her with wide, watery eyes, unable to comprehend anything she had done. He mentally replayed the past few days; the strange conversations, the lack of actual annoyance from Chloe, the way Marinette tried to get alone with everyone in the house, her lack of outbursts to his random behavior since they went to the Carrefour and not demanding an explanation.

"Adrien...before you say anything...please just let me -"

"You set this up?!" He shouted, shaking her on reaction. Her head jerked a little with the surge of adrenaline and his strength. "Why?! Why didn't you tell me?! Why didn't you just explain what was going on before we go here?! Don't you think I'd want to know that before something like this happened!?"

"We knew you wouldn't be able to handle it, Adrien." Sabrina murmured behind him. A hand lightly touched his shoulder and numbed itself after that. "What would you have said if we told you we had found out where your mother ran away to?"

"Adrien, dear boy... I..."

He looked from Sabrina to Marinette to his mother in Chloe's arms. His mother was still lightly hugging Chloe who was sniffling in her shoulder. His mother's gaze was sympathetic; knowing him with a look that tried to convey emotion that she had always given him as a mother who loved him.

Loved him before she ran away and left him with his father.

Some reflex in his brain acted before he could gain a tighter hold on himself. He shoved Marinette away, hardly hearing her cry out as she stumbled into Chloe and his mother. He took a small step back, listening to Chloe's irritated outbursts, Marinette's questions to his mother if she was okay, and his mother's insistence that she was fine. He looked at two women he had known well, had known for years, had loved deeply stare back at him with his mother in the middle of them. He ignored their gazes, refused to register them as he looked at his mother and her timid, loving eyes. She didn't move toward him, didn't unlock her hold on Chloe and out from Marinette's arms toward him. Just her eyes.

The noise of the crowd struck him. Some people he had knocked down on his way to get to this area were getting closer, some already shouting curses at him for being so callous on his path to the one thing he wanted to see more than anything for so long.

He was frozen, as was she. They didn't move past the small distance separating them with his two other favorite women taking up the space where he should be right now. His mother never finished her sentence, her mouth slightly open as if it had ceased to be usable. Tears lined her eyes and threatened to fall.

After all this time, he wanted nothing more than to see his mother and hold her, to tell her he loved her. He had found her in a less-than-desirable place set up by those he loved and trusted, but now felt a stab in his chest when his vision dared to include them past his mother. He felt that anything coming out of his mouth in these few seconds would only be lashing out and he didn't want that. They found his mother...though they didn't tell him. They should have told him and his head was going to split in two with all of this roaming around in it. He couldn't think and didn't know the right things to say.

Chest tight and feeling overwhelmed, he whirled and ran into the crowds.

"Adrien!"

Marinette shuffled a step when his mother moved in his direction. "Mama Agreste, it'll be okay. This is my fault..." She mumbled, heart heavy.

She knew it was going to be hard. She surmised it wouldn't go as nice as she wished it could. Reality was never that sugar-coated, even when the circumstances were there. Things had unfolded beautifully, leading them to the moments where she had found his mother again and again. So many options were presenting themselves to their group, but with the way Adrien kept shutting down to the outside world, she didn't think it was a good idea to just take him over with the chaos that might erupt under the surface. She kept watch on him, gauging him for his reaction anytime they were near his mother, but didn't think he would blow to such proportions.

She didn't know anything and all the good intentions laughed at her, mocking her.

"She's an idiot, mama Agreste." Chloe mumbled, finally pulling away. "I told her this was a bad idea, but she didn't want to listen to me. I told her no and here we are. She didn't have a good plan to get you two together, and now he takes off into the crowd after everything we did."

"I'm sorry...that was my fault. I reacted before I could think. I wasn't prepared either. Anxiety hit and...I took off, too..."

"Don't worry, Madame." Sabrina consoled. "This wasn't the best situation for anyone." Green eyes pointedly looked to Marinette. "We all knew it was going to go sour to some extent."

Sudden, loud noises drew them out of their situation. The people Adrien had knocked down earlier finally found their group and were coming near. "We need to get out of here. That mini mob is going to be pissed." Chloe mumbled, jaw tight.

Adrien's mother looked to the group that seemed to be converging and the others that quickly got out of the way of it. Her hands lashed out and grabbed Marinette's and Chloe's wrists. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Sabrina snapped to and followed on the trio's heels until they had reached the other side of the open area and hid behind one of the exhibits. Adrien's mother poked her head out from the other side of mass of lemons, green avidly taking in anyone who might have followed them. "I think we're okay. I doubt anyone really wanted to start a fight, but now I'm worried for Adrien. If someone found him and tried to confront him about what he did, he might retaliate."

"Knowing Adri-kins...he probably...ran for the least populated spot...for some privacy." Chloe panted. Her arms wrapped around the woman's back and squeezed again. "Mama Agreste...it's been so long!"

"Chloe..." Sabrina quietly chided, though not moving to untangle her friend.

A hand patted Chloe's in motherly affection. "Yes it has, Chloe. I apologize for everything...truly I do."

Marinette watched the pair hug face to face and looked away, teeth biting her lip. She waited until Chloe let go to step forward, clasping his mother's hands. "Mama Agreste...I -"

"Only I get to call her mama Agreste!" Chloe butt in with a harsh wag of her finger. "You have to call her Madame."

"I don't mind sharing your nickname, Chloe." Mama Agreste chided with a small smile. "You are...?"

Marinette looked down. "Adrien's idiot girlfriend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

"You're hardly that, my dear..." Adrien's mother took her hands back and lightly hugged her. "This whole thing was unavoidable and an unmanageable a long time ago. I'm the one who caused all of this and I'm sorry to all of you for ending up here because of me. I'm sorry Adrien had to go through that and I wish I had been more put together when I heard one of you mention his name in the crowd."

"Enough of the blame talk." Chloe retorted, arms gently going around Mama Agreste's neck from behind. "We could spend all afternoon searching for Adri-kins, or we could get out of the cold and into some place warm. I prefer the second option myself. I know for a fact that Adri-kins has his cell phone with him and when he cools off and remembers the bottom line, he'll contact one of us for our location. While I know where you live, what time you go out, and do stuff, I don't plan on letting you out of my sight now that I can get near you."

"We shouldn't just leave him to his own devices, Chloe." Sabrina worried, brows furrowed. "He needs someone with him, we knew this."

"So what should we do then, huh? Go running around for the next few hours like I did all month to find mama Agreste?"

His mother sighed. "It sounds like someone should go looking for him, but we'll only get separated and lost if we all try."

"I'll go." Marinette piped up. "I should be the one to hear whatever he has to say. It's only right since I made Chloe come here as well as Adrien. I lied to him to get him here after all. I need to take full responsibility as the who thought this whole thing up."

"No. He might yell at you and you don't need that." Sabrina interjected. She stepped forward and put a hand on Marinette's shoulder. "You had good intentions from the start; we all know this. I'll go. I have more tenacity than Chloe to find him, and if he needs to vent to someone, I can handle that. I owe him that much after all I've done in his presence over the years."

She and Sabrina met each other's gazes for heartbeats. Marinette knew what Sabrina was saying after getting information on how she spilled to Adrien and gushed about being Chloe's dog years ago. She wanted to repay him as much as possible and who was it for Marinette to deny her that option?

"Alright..." She nodded, clasping Sabrina's hand. "Just...tell him I'm sorry, okay? Tell him I didn't mean for that to happen. That I wanted something happier for him. Better... That -"

"I'll bring him back and let you tell him yourself." Sabrina smiled.

"Dear god, he's not going off to war!" Chloe butt in with a scowl. "We'll head to a restaurant and try to take up a large enough table for a few hours and text you the location when we get there. I don't care about what I was supposed to be doing here, but it is the lunch hour after all and we've been walking for a while. I want food and some water."

Adrien's mother reached a hand out and rested it on Sabrina's shoulder. "Thank you for helping, dear."

"It's Sabrina Raincomprix. I doubt you'd remember me. I was friends with Chloe shortly before you left, but I wasn't over to Adrien's house often."

"Thank you, Sabrina, for being there for my son. Please bring him back to me as soon as you can so I...so I can apologize for everything."

Sabrina patted mama Agreste's hand with a smile and took a step back. "I'll text you when I find something."

The trio watched her jog around the object they were hiding behind and was gone in a second.

The din of the crowds floated into the space she had created, leaving them to look at each other. "Well...I guess we should go find that restaurant you wanted to eat at Chloe before everyone fills up for the dinner hour..."


	96. Bleeding from the heart

The crowds were only slightly thinning out with the dinner hour approaching. While there were a few street vendors and cafes close by, the place was still pretty full of people. Thankfully, Adrien's hair was the same bright color as his mother's and it helped, but she was quite a bit shorter than a lot of the people loitering around and it wasn't helping her to find him. There weren't any tall spots that weren't connected with the floats for her to stand on and thus the search was more annoying than it was time consuming. She didn't think he had left because he didn't have any place else to run away to aside the house they rented.

Perhaps the reason it took so long to find him was because, when she actually did, he was hunched up against his legs with his face buried in his knees.

She ran past him when she reached the spot he was in. He was using a tree as a backrest to stabilize his posture and she was only lucky that she skidded to a stop with the intent on using the lower branches to hoist herself up for a better view. Had she not got the random idea, she would have kept running and gone past him, costing herself many more minutes. As it was, it felt like it took forever though the place wasn't that huge.

She stopped those few paces away, legs taking root to the ground she was standing over as she took him in. His shoulders were hunched up in a clear pose that said "leave me alone" and she almost wanted to do so. She was unable to get herself to do more than a few twitches his way before chiding herself and heading forward at a sudden, huge sigh noticeably raising his back.

She stopped and stared at the top of his head as the rest of the world passed them by. She heard their voices, watched total strangers pass out of the corner of her field of vision, but never bothered to register them further. They blended into a mix of colors on an abstract paining, entirely indiscernible and not worth worrying about.

She finally kneeled down and stared at the muss of blond hair easily within reach for a few breaths before she turned and mimicked most of his pose. She scooted close enough to lightly bump shoulders, but made no more move to touch him until she knew he was ready for contact. Usually, he didn't have a problem with it, but he didn't twitch, didn't seem to even know she was there.

Long after he lost the will to move and use his legs, the tears fell and wet his clothes. He couldn't get them to stop for so many different reasons and it was useless to try. He gave up attempting to even out his breathing and was only hoping to not hyperventilate at this point.

Despite all of the emotions raging in his head, he felt oddly empty. Like a dead blackness had taken him over the second he closed his eyes to the public. The tears wouldn't stop because of the situation he had found himself in and his nose wouldn't stop running from that, but if he really tried, he could probably halt everything. It seemed like the outburst that he felt earlier was done, exploding like a bottle rocket and falling aimlessly back to the ground.

It had been so long. So many years, countless breaths, and sleepless nights apart. After it happened, he was devastated for months, unable to smile or find a reason to laugh. His most beloved parent, so much more than his father, had up and left without telling him why or even taking him with. He felt like someone else moved his arms and legs for the longest time and the world had gone on autopilot.

He wondered if he had slipped into some fairytale world and was dreaming all this. That he was lucky enough to know something he had waited so long for. The tears started anew at every thought he pondered was true or not and it was hard to regain his breathing. Air left him in a whoosh, only to be gulped back in through shaky attempts, quickly pushed out as not deemed good enough to be used.

He registered someone had sat down next to him and when he looked, he saw the barest outline of a shoe he recognized, but didn't want to say anything. He didn't care to move, didn't want to have to deal with anything else. This was crashing down over him in successive waves enough as it was and whenever he thought he might be able to tread water, another thought came to him that pulled him back into the riptides.

He didn't know how long he sat there until the tears finally dried up with no repeat, when he could take deep breaths and slowly let them out without faltering, and the grip on his legs slackened just a little. Everything bled from his eyes and escaped, to his thankfulness and despondence. The joy that he wanted to feel, greedily wanted to hold onto, warped into something he had known for so long that it was like a cruel joke. Even when she had been right in front of him, he couldn't react like he wanted. He couldn't say anything, couldn't do anything.

He almost felt like he missed his chance with his inability to think fast enough.

"Feel any better...?"

The soft, somewhat soothing voice pricked shock only a little to his exhausted nerves. He remained where he was, not wanting anyone to see him without any cover to hide himself. He was so tired of fearing what he would let slip to the world since he lost his sunglasses and they were probably broken by now. He didn't have his hat on to hide his features successfully enough to keep him out of the newspapers if anyone decided to report this. Not that he cared anymore... He was just fed up right now with having to play to the curiosity of every single person who cared more about his mask than he ever did. Such a thing drove his mother away in the first place and his jaw tensed at the thought.

He sniffled as the only immediate answer he could give, not knowing just what he was supposed to say first. Of course he wasn't feeling better or he would have gone back after them to find them all and hug his mother again. Of course he was still sad or he would have actually looked Sabrina's way by now. Of course he was obviously upset about the whole thing that no one bothered to inform him about so he could go through this rainbow of hell and thus be prepared when he finally saw his mother again. As it was in this moment, he didn't have the emotional or mental strength to attempt a second try and it felt cheap to think it could be so blissful a second time around. Like trying to throw someone a second surprise birthday party that same day.

He finally sighed a noise that spoke of exhaustion, irritation, melancholy, and confusion. Where to go from here he didn't know, but he didn't think he'd be strong enough to ask questions without losing the shaky foothold he had stumbled upon to dry up his tears enough to maybe look up. His eyes already burned and he would give anything to put a cold washcloth on them for half an hour.

"I offered to come in Marinette's place just in case you needed to scream at someone so don't blame her for not being the one to come. She wanted to, but I insisted."

He didn't show that he heard, though he did. He didn't care who showed up; he still hadn't bothered looking her way. Words in the barest formation of a question tried to line up in his head, but his tongue was sandpaper and his jaw wouldn't work. He didn't know what to say, ask, or bother to explain first. The most obvious thought was that he was wasting the precious time he was just granted and he had to be back on a plane to school too soon for his liking when he'd rather never leave. Though he didn't know how he was going to be able to face his mother again without turning into a baby, bawling and tugging her close.

The lightest of touches to his shoulder registered with every nerve ending that was still shredded. His arm tingled a little with the feel of something foreign to his body and he focused on it as a means of escaping his head. It seemed he would be trapped in his inability to get away from himself had she not helped. He was slightly grateful for the assistance. This was all too much for him to get away from; had been for years.

The buzz of those around greeted his ears a little as the outside world came back. The cold on his fingers and back of his neck, the voices of strangers as they commented on what he was doing there, the pull on his sweater that he stretched taunt from his arms around his legs. Such consciousness peeled off in layers to expose him to the outside air and shuffled everything inside just a little more. The chill of the afternoon made him want to shiver from the parts of his neck where his hair didn't quite cover, but he couldn't feel enough yet to do so.

"Feel like yelling? Have any questions?"

His eyes peeked open to the daylight streaming through the cracks of his jeans. It was too much and his eyes quickly shut until he could get them to remain open through the heated tears. It felt like so much more time passed before he bothered looking up and when he shifted to rest his chin on his knees, his legs hurt from remaining as they had for so long.

"I... I'm not sure...just where to begin..." He mumbled, the words laborious to form. The pauses between such simple sentences almost made him forget that he started them in the first place and only the public walking by made him keep time with them. For all the thoughts in his head, speaking was by far much harder.

Sabrina sighed and leaned her head against the tree trunk, arms wrapped under her knees. "I knew it was a bad idea to come here." She quietly began with a frown. "I didn't know anything had even started until Chloe called me in January and I was almost livid. There was nothing to do at that point though but pray things went at least slightly pleasant. I remember the aftermath from that time probably better than you ever can recall. I had a bad feeling something like this would happen..."

His body leaned into her shoulder the barest of degrees, enough to make his back scratch on the bark he was also up against. It itched, but he couldn't bring himself to move more than that.

Dull green, tiny pieces of smashed emeralds, stared at the crowds with a frown. He didn't bother to hide the look on his face, knowing that his entire existence here had been something of talk. He watched people move about in their own little worlds, smiling and chattering happily as if he was merely a specter. As he sat in the glass fish tank of his popularity and watched people live better than he ever could. It made it easier to wallow just a little without worrying of being caught in public like this.

"I guess...I just..." He trailed off again, not knowing what he was supposed to say. Words almost seemed pointless. He just wanted to head back to the house and get something warm to drink. Maybe a thick blanket and a nap for his tired brain. "Don't know..."

Sabrina turned and rested her knees against his legs. She evenly stared at his side profile that never looked her way long after she adjusted. She wanted to hug him, but restrained herself. The next embrace he should be receiving should be from his mother. "Well...if you want, I'm waiting on a text from either Marinette or Chloe about a restaurant they're going to try to get into so they can stay put till we find them." Her brow suddenly furrowed, hand reaching into the back of her jeans. "I should have had one by now though..."

There was one text message from Chloe, but it wasn't good.

 _Walked_ _to_ _four_ _places_ _in_ _three_ _blocks_ _and_ _gave_ _up._ _The_ _wait_ _line_ _is_ _at_ _least_ _twenty_ _minutes_ _and_ _I'm_ _not_ _waiting_ _that_ _long_ _outside while you_ _guys_ _find_ _us before we_ _get_ _a_ _table...whenever_ _that_ _is._ _Mama_ _Agreste_ _offered_ _to_ _let_ _us_ _go_ _to_ _her_ _house_ _and_ _we're_ _taking_ _a_ _taxi_ _there_ _now._

She didn't know what time she started looking, but the text was sent almost forty minutes ago. She had no idea about the time when they created the initial plan, but she wondered if they were still at his mother's place so Adrien didn't have to be there by himself.

The address and a picture of the place that Chloe sent her in January was still in her cell phone. It would be nice to get Adrien out of the public eye in case he broke down in front of his mother again, but she didn't think that his visiting her house was a good idea. To see the place she had chosen over her old home might not sit well with him.

She cringed and looked to him, still finding him idly looking at the crowd as if he forgot she was there again.

What to do? Tell him she didn't receive anything or that they couldn't find a place to eat and were heading back to the rented house? Everything depended on him and she would do whatever he wanted. If he wanted to go to his mother's new house, she would accompany him with the address since he didn't have it, but if he wanted to head back, she would go just the same. She was mainly here for him any time he needed to lean on someone.

"Ah...it seems that they...they couldn't find anyplace..." She hedged, looking to the phone. "Chloe says they went to...your mother's house..."

The place she ended up in after leaving home initially? After years? Did she find this place because it was far away from Paris? Did she do it because she liked the ocean? All of the questions roamed around his head but didn't come out of his mouth. He supposed to the only way to know would be to go and ask.

The thought didn't fill him with excitement or urgency. He didn't stand at Sabrina's unspoken question of whether or not he wanted to go. He stayed in the same pose he ended in for countless moments, eyes still on the crowd as if he had no idea where he was or what was going on.

He knew he should go. They were leaving on the train to Nice after breakfast and then had to catch a flight about an hour after that back to Paris. This was the last day he was going to be here before he had to head back to all of his responsibilities like nothing had ever taken place here. While part of him didn't figure his mother would uproot everything to run away from him again, he didn't know when he'd be able to escape his duties from Gabriel and school to come down here. He'd want Marinette with him for support, but she was just as busy.

It was now or never it seemed, but he was too overwhelmed with everything to make a correct choice, let alone feel the urge to do anything. As it was, it was getting dark and while there were lots of lights around for the floats, the chill was picking up as the sun left them.

He should move and go see her. He had wanted to know for years where she ended up, but now he just felt hollowed out. He couldn't act and a disturbingly large part of him didn't seem perturbed by that. His beloved mother was here, Chloe and Marinette were with her, but he didn't have enough energy to stand.

"We don't have to go if you don't want to. There's no pressure and no one will think badly of you if you don't want to go. We all understand, Adrien."

He couldn't feel any emotion on his face and he idly wondered what he looked like. It had been so long since he was used to her being gone; how was he supposed to adjust to knowing exactly where she was and that she was nervous at seeing him again after so long? She panicked it seemed and wouldn't repeat her earlier actions, but she didn't turn him away. The only reason she asked him to loosen his hug was because he was physically hurting her.

Air suddenly swooped into his lungs, reminding him that he needed to breathe every once in a while. He only blinked when his eyes demanded it. "I...should go..." He mumbled. "But...I also don't. Does that even make sense?"

Sabrina's hand gently patted his arm and stayed there, leeching some of the heat radiating off his sweater for her cold hands. "It makes perfect sense. Would you like to head back to the house? Get a hot bath? Maybe something light for dinner? Head to bed early? We can do any of those things; just let me know. It is getting really dark out..."

He nodded a little, the warm sheets of the bed he shared a good idea. "Not too hungry really..." He supplied, face still even. "Something hot to drink sounds nice though. Maybe some cocoa or milk or something..."

A vibration in the back of her pocket made Sabrina jump and she pulled out her phone. Her mouth dropped open at the text she just received from Chloe again.

 _Heading_ _back_ _to_ _the_ _house_ _now._ _Have_ _something_ _for_ _Adri-kins_ _from_ _mama_ _Agreste._ _Where are you?_

She heaved a sigh, head drooping forward. This whole thing was getting too convoluted and she wished there was an easier path, but the easy way out ended when his mother walked out the door years ago.

"Well," Sabrina drawled, "it seems that those two are heading back to the house right now as well. I don't know why they cut it so short, but we'll have to ask them when we get back. Chloe says that your mother has something for you. Why don't we go check on what it is first and worry about seeing your mother when you're more ready to...?"

The cold finally got to him, making him shiver and fully come from himself. He nodded and his arms left their positions around his legs to push him off the grass. He slowly dusted himself off, finding Sabrina doing the same thing.

She looked up into his eyes, finding him meeting her gaze with no expression. She wondered how long it would take for life to come back to him this time and his eyes would sparkle with the light of his smile. Thankfully, he was done with the latest catalog, but he still had other seasons his father was working on and his photographer would demand he act the part sooner than Adrien wanted or was ready for.

Slightly forcing a smile and shoving worry aside, she held out her hand for him to take in a measure of comfort he hadn't asked for since she sat down.

He looked down to her hand and blinked a few times before she reached forward and took one of them lying dead at his side. The physical contact stirred the slightest movement of his lips upward at the gesture. "You usually don't hold my hand and let Chloe do that..."

Sabrina tsked and gently tugged him to the street as she grabbed her phone. "Yea well she and Marinette aren't here right now so I'll have to be it. I know it's kind of weird, but just bear with me until we get into a taxi."

He listened as she called whatever business they had been using the last few days. She redirected him to wherever their driver was going to show up and meandered till they got to a corner. They stood in silence, the chill of her fingers trying to match his. She never held his hand, not really one to do so, which was why he appreciated the thought all the more.

The drive back was silent and he stared at the passing streetlights that were on. The whole thing felt like some kind of fucked up dream that he almost wanted to wake from and find out that meeting his mother had all been some of odd desire, or that his mother was still at the mansion and he tortured himself with what-ifs. Either would be better than the fork in the road that he felt he was in with no clear way of crossing.

What was he supposed to do after he met his mother? Convince her to live back at home again? He was busy with school and college, and his father wasn't suddenly going to make time in his business for his wife again. She would be left in that big, empty place day in and day out and go insane in all over again. It was unfair to ask her to come back just because he missed her, but he couldn't stay down here to be with her either. He didn't want to leave Marinette or his friends, even though Chloe was gone almost half of the year at any given point. He was just supposed to take this peace of mind and head back home, knowing that she was still alive and still in France. He would have to content himself with plane trips down in the future as the only method of seeing her, of touching her. He could always call her, but it wasn't the same. He had old videos that would serve the same purpose.

Once the question of "what to do after tomorrow" stayed and refused to budge until it was answered, he almost wished he could rewind time and deny ever wanting to come here. If the only option was to know his mother was down here, he would have rather never known she was so far away and still so untouchable on so many levels. They would never be a family again, no matter how much he had wished it in the past, and this whole escapade was pointless.


	97. Heart to heart

"I'm so sorry you two have to come all the way here just for something to eat."

"That's okay mama Agreste, I don't want to stand around those doorways just for food. That's not my thing."

"As best I can recall Chloe, waiting was never your thing on anything."

"You're correct on that one, Madame."

"Hey! I'm just trying to be nice and save us time here."

"It's fine. As long as you two are comfortable with it, I don't mind you coming here."

The front door opened and a bookshelf covering the entire wall into the farthest room greeted their eyes. It was full of so many books, but as Marinette followed inside, she spotted a bunch of magazines lining many of the spaces.

" _She_ _collects_ _them._ _She_ _called_ _me_ _after_ _the_ _first_ _year_ _she_ _was_ _living_ _in_ _Menton saying how she_ _was_ _thankful_ _that_ _he_ _was_ _in_ _so_ _many_ _so_ _she_ _could_ _see_ _his_ _pictures_ _as_ _often_ _as_ _she_ _wanted._ _It_ _wasn't_ _the_ _initial_ _aim_ _to_ _have_ _Adrien_ _in_ _as_ _many_ _magazines_ _for_ _her_ _benefit,_ _but_ _after_ _hearing_ _how_ _happy_ _she_ _was_ _to_ _see_ _his_ _face,_ _I_ _tried_ _to_ _get_ _as_ _many_ _photo_ _shoots_ _in_ _as_ _I_ _could_ _later_ _on._ _He_ _was_ _annoyed_ _in_ _the_ _beginning,_ _but_ _he_ _figured_ _it_ _was_ _for_ _advertising_ _reasons._ _I_ _was_ _never_ _able_ _to_ _tell_ _him_ _the_ _real_ _reason_ _why_ _I_ _scheduled_ _him_ _with_ _Vincent_ _so_ _often."_

So many names that were lining those shelves were in any magazine stand in Paris. Since they were common and available anywhere in the country, his mother got her hands on them on a regular basis. She wondered if the woman had someone to inform her of when he was on the cover, or if Gabriel himself did the deed and sent her a message.

The hallway led past other bedrooms and the kitchen, their guide taking them into a chaotically organized living room with a dining table in it.

"I think you need to pick up, mama Agreste." Chloe immediately stated as she looked around.

Mama Agreste looked up with a smile as she pulled the dining chairs back. "I know it might seem a tad messy, but it is just me here after all."

Marinette slowly walked in, looking around at the colorful furniture, the paintings on the wall, the flowers and plants all over the place, and the knickknacks loitering on the entertainment stand. It looked like any lived-in place and she liked it. The living room gave off a very disarming feeling and she wished Adrien could be here to feel the sense of peace she also got when she was here.

"I knew you liked gardening, mama, but this is ridiculous. How many plants are out there?" Chloe asked, breath lightly fogging the balcony doors she was in front of.

Marinette headed over out of curiosity and peeked over Chloe's shoulder, going to the other door footsteps away and being careful to go around a telescope on her way outside.

The view was incredible. For being a wife of an internationally renown fashion designer, the home wasn't as impressive as the mansion was. That was probably part of the point, but once she got outside, she found the ocean right there and could see the reason to pick this place. There were palm trees all over the place and the noise from the waves could be heard all the way up here, though they weren't very high up. It looked like a minute walk to the beach and she had a feeling mama Agreste went often. She knew she would if she had the chance.

"Hmm, it's not as nice as my room, but I never care much about a view of the city I suppose."

Marinette turned when Chloe carefully looked at the railing before putting her arms on it. She scoffed and leaned a little further on it. "I doubt it'll get your clothes that dirty that you can't live until we get back to the washer and dryer in the kitchen."

Chloe snorted. "Why risk it?"

"I see you've found my favorite part of the place."

The pair turned to find glasses of bubbling liquid being passed their way and both took them. One sip found it to be sparkling water and Marinette took a long drink after a long day of emotional upset.

"I have some snacks on the table if you care to join me."

Marinette nodded and headed in first after their hostess. She rested a hand on the back of a lime green chair, feeling cold leather, before sitting when Chloe almost finished doing so.

Chloe shot a quick look at her fellow visitor, eyes narrowing a little. "Don't you go criticizing mama Agreste's taste in food and just eat it now."

"Now, now, Chloe. That was uncalled for."

Chloe looked to the woman. "You don't understand, mama Agreste. Her parents run a bakery and she can cook all sorts of things. She has a tendency to be a little judgmental, too."

Marinette scoffed as she looked at the small spread of cut fruits, cookies, and breads. "That's not something I really prefer to hear coming from you, you know..." She mumbled, hand reaching out. Biting into some circular item with a flower decoration on it found it to be a honey cookie and Marinette grabbed another when the small piece nearly the size of a euro coin didn't give enough flavor for her to initially enjoy.

Chloe grabbed an apple chunk and ate most of it while looking around. "I'm kind of surprised you didn't end up with something a tad more glamorous."

"Chloe!"

"I had to fight Gabriel on that one actually." Madame Agreste mentioned with a smile. "He thought I deserved something a little...classier, but I saw this place and fell in love with it." Green eyes strayed to the various cactus on a small coffee table almost crowding out a chess set. "When it gets warm enough, I just leave the doors open and sit in my rocker with a cup of tea and listen to the waves."

"Sounds boring."

"Chloe! I'm sorry, Madame Agreste, she -"

A light pat on Marinette's hand cut her off. "You don't need to be so formal...Marinette was it? Just call me Zoe or mama Zoe if you don't feel so inclined."

Marinette nodded with a small smile. "Mama Zoe sounds nice." Her eyes darted to Chloe's with a grin. "Someone won't get so mad if I use that one."

Chloe scowled. "Hey, I made that name up when I was like six and it's still mine. I couldn't say the 'Z' properly yet, okay? The name just kind of stuck."

Zoe smiled fondly and patted Chloe's hand as well. "And I still love to hear it." Her smile slipped a little, eyes falling to the table. "It's...it's been a while...since I could... It's...nice..."

Hard, tense silence filled the bubble in the room they were in and Marinette met Chloe's eyes in her discomfort. Chloe didn't appear to be so perturbed, but it WAS Chloe.

Words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't push them out. The whole thing was her fault and she wanted to give a proper apology, but she was too guilt-stricken to get up and give a bow, let alone beg for forgiveness. She stared at the bubbles floating up from the bottom of her glass for a few seconds before shooting out of her chair, head angled low. "I'm so sorry, mama Zoe!" She burst out, eyes squeezed shut. "So...so sorry..."

Zoe stared before giving a sigh, smiling as she did so. She stood with less urgency and slowly wrapped her arms around Marinette. "I don't fault you for whatever it is you think you did wrong, Marinette. In fact, deep down, I'm actually quite thankful to you. If you hadn't thought of doing this, I wouldn't be able to sit here with you and Chloe to have food and chat." A doleful smile tried to stay, but kept falling. "And I...I wouldn't have been able to...hug my son again..."

Marinette embraced the woman tightly at the slight shake in her voice. Zoe didn't cry, didn't sniffle, didn't break down, but didn't back away from the hold. It lasted only a second and felt like it never happened as Zoe stepped back with a smile that was definitely pasted on.

Chloe humphed when the pair joined her again and glared across the table. "Stop making mama Agreste feel bad all over again!" She retorted. "You think this kind of thing isn't normal by now? Let's talk about something less annoying!"

Zoe chuckled, fingers finding Chloe's free hand before it grasped her water. "Ah Chloe...how I've missed your spunk. You are still as troublesome as you were when you were were ten."

Chloe's chin raised with a noticeable pout. "Papa always called me adventurous."

Zoe laughed a little, head shaking with a grin. "Any parent is going to give their own child a better term than what it actually means, dear." Zoe took a drink, mirthful eyes looking over the rim when it tipped back down a bit. "I know your father and that 'adventurous spirit' as he called it was what he used to cope with you terrorizing his hotel on occasion."

Chloe promptly took a bite of apple and said nothing to that.

It was so hard to keep from laughing at a scene Marinette had never been privy to, but kind of had. She went to school with Chloe and wanted to go on about how much of a terror Chloe had been, but she bet Zoe was aware of that already. Those two had their own history that Marinette knew as another source. It was like reading a magazine with almost the same article posted, but the words were synonyms of each other and slightly rearranged. It was strange because she wanted to feel like the third wheel, but she could fully understand Zoe's words.

"You said you were Adrien's girlfriend. How long have you been going out with him?"

"It'll actually be almost a year already." A fond grin appeared. "A whole year... It doesn't feel like it."

"How did you two meet? He was in graduate school at ISC if my information is still accurate."

Marinette perked up, eyes going slightly wide. Her mouth gaped open a few times, wondering if she should just spill the beans on the whole thing and let everyone get used to how they met, since it would get found out eventually. She didn't really feel like spilling the gory details to his mother right now after just meeting the woman though! "I...uh...well...th – that is... W – we...we go t – to ISC together!" She blabbered, face heating up. She quickly grabbed a cookie and focused on chewing to give her something else to take the embarrassment down a tad.

"Don't mind her, mama Agreste." Chloe waved off. "She has a tendency to stutter. Used to do it all the time in middle school." Chloe grinned. "Apparently, it hasn't really left, has it?"

Marinette glared. "Everyone stutters to some extent when they get nervous!" She retorted. "Some people have a speech impediment, I'll have you know. So don't make fun of me just because I get nervous and my brain doesn't work fast enough."

"Now, now, you two..." Zoe chided, waving a hand between them. "That's enough in my home. I didn't bring you two here to fight, although something tells me you two have enough history of that." Zoe propped her head up on her head, green idly bouncing back and forth between them. "From what I gather, you went to school together?"

"All of middle school and high school." Chloe reported. "We weren't on the best of terms, but I'm burying the hatchet for Adri-kin's sake. Can't have his girlfriend estranging me from my best friend now."

Zoe gave a hum and looked to Marinette. "So you go to ISC, too?"

"Went." Marinette grinned. "I graduated this last Noel and it feels good."

"Congratulations, dear. What are you doing with the degree you got?"

"I own my own clothing business." Marinette quickly reached for her phone in the purse still over her shoulder. "I've been doing it since around high school actually. I went to Sorbonne University for my art degree and wanted to round out my education in the business."

Zoe's eyes were locked on Ladybug as Marinette handed her phone over after pulling the site up. She let Zoe flip through the links, watching her brows go up a few times, humming others at whatever it was she was looking at. It went on for a moment before her phone was handed back. "You're quite talented, Marinette. I just see the irony as highly amusing, so please forgive me."

Marinette gave a bashful grin and nodded. "Y – yea... We ironed out that 'issue' in the beginning. It was mostly my fault."

Chloe's hand suddenly banged on the table, nearly knocking over her water and making the pair fall from their chairs. "Oh my god! THAT'S why you snuck into the venue last year?! You treated him like shit? What the hell is wrong with you! Adri-kins is fragile!"

"Chloe, settle down..."

"I got that already." Marinette grumbled.

"How..." Both visitors looked over. "How...has he been doing anyway...?"

The talk was inevitable and perhaps the lighter conversation and bickering was only the band-aid on the real reason they were both here. Why everyone was in this city in the first place. Neither had wanted to broach the subject and watch Zoe cry over this or upset her after all she'd been through. But, if she was comfortable enough to bring it back up, perhaps now was the time to discuss things.

Marinette's lips tilted as she leaned over the table a little. "He's good. He...hasn't been in the best of moods after finding out I was meeting with his father for a few months, but other than that, he was focusing a lot on finals and a Noel party that I throw every year at my parent's house."

"Gabriel contacted you? I hope he hasn't been doing anything unnecessary with you. He...he's kind of hard to understand on a lot of levels."

Chloe barked out a brief laughter before putting a hand over her mouth to reign it in. "That's...putting it mildly, mama Agreste..." She managed, shoulders shaking.

Marinette sighed an looked to the cookie she was idly twirling. "He's easier to understand if you sit down and talk with him." She quietly defended. "I thought the same way after the...incident in August, but I see much better as to why it went that way. We're on much better terms and the conversations we had have opened both of our eyes as to whom the other is and I think he's more agreeable than most would assume him to be."

Zoe gave a sigh that spoke of the same history. She gave a sympathetic look Marinette's way. "It sounds like my foolish husband has done something to put you in some kind of position you didn't want to be in, but I'm glad that you managed to resolve it. Thank you for trying to understand him and work with him. It's true that he can be difficult, but there is a lot that he hides which most don't see."

Marinette nodded, eyes on the table. "He's just a lonely old man who misses his son." Blue jutted up to find green staring at her. "And his wife..."

Zoe stared in silence, showing a sense of regret and sadness in those green orbs that were exactly like Adrien's. It was almost the same look Marinette knew when Adrien talked about his mother and how much he missed her. It went on for what felt like hours before Zoe looked away with a deep sigh, looking to the hands in front of her.

"I've thought of going back..." She quietly began, mouth scrunching up. "But, it's been so long now and with Gabriel still so busy at work and Adrien having his own life...I didn't think there'd be much for me to go back to." Zoe fiddled for a second, lips pressing together. "I don't remember the happy memories of that place anymore; only how hard it was to live there. I think I would be suffocated in that empty place and feel like I needed to leave again."

"But Adri-kins still misses you terribly!" Chloe burst out, insistent eyes on Zoe. "You saw for yourself this afternoon! He chased you down after he saw you and refused to give you up!"

"I...I know..." Zoe hedged, growing more uncomfortable at the mention of Adrien's name. "I spent a lot of time talking about what I would do, but it's still a hard decision."

"What's so hard about it? Just go back!"

"Chloe..."

Zoe's eyes bounced around the table for a moment before her shoulder slumped, eyes falling closed. "I love my son dearly, but when I left him in the hands of his father instead of taking him with me, especially after being the primary one to raise him while Gabriel was busy, I'm sure he must have been greatly hurt that I didn't take him. I wasn't in my right mind at the time and all I could think about was escaping that place. I didn't consider him for a second after I fled until the silence and time alone allowed me to realize that I had made a grave mistake. The guilt consumed me to the point of fear at worrying about what Adrien would do if I ever saw him again. It...until today, it still did." Her fingers fiddled together. "It's...nice to know that...perhaps he doesn't blame me for ruining his life...but...I still just...can't shake the fact that I messed up his adult life for my own selfish happiness..."

"That's not true!" Chloe burst out, hands slamming on the table as she shot to her feet.

Marinette reached across the table and rested her hands over Zoe's, pointedly ignoring the outburst. "Mama Zoe, Adrien loves you very much and has told me a lot about you. I read about the incident in the magazines and heard from him various thoughts and feelings on the subject, but he still does love you immensely. Please believe in that and find it in you to consider returning to him. I know that you'd make him very happy if you did so."

Zoe looked at the two for a second before quickly wiping away a tear that threatened to fall and took Marinette's and Chloe's hands. "I'm so glad that he has such caring people around him." Her voice cracked. "It makes me feel much better that my son found great people to love and support him."

Marinette opened her mouth to say something else when Zoe suddenly stood and left for the hallway without a word. She and Chloe looked at each other, identical confusion and fear that their words had done more damage than good, when Zoe returned with a small stack of books in her hands. They were lightly set on the space near the food, a plain piece of leather covering the top book.

"Please do me a favor and give these to Adrien." She softly reported, fingers brushing over them as she let go. She looked to the pile, face serious. "I did a lot of writing when I went into therapy for my anxiety over being unable to go back to him. My therapist told me that I needed a catharsis for my emotions and gave me a journal when I got here. There are eight small books here, but that's not all of them. I left the initial books at home. These ones are just the years since I moved here. If...maybe if he reads these...he might understand a little more. It was never explained to him and he must still wonder about it. Maybe it's time he gets my side of the whole thing. I'm sure his father must not have ever said much."

Marinette slowly stood and took the stack. "I heard about what happened, but Gabriel has sworn me to secrecy on telling Adrien." She suddenly flushed and looked away, clutching the stack to her chest. "I...I apologize for breaking that wish you asked him not to do when he wanted to. Maybe a little nudge of fate brought us here to carry this to him for you."

Zoe's lips tilted sadly and a hand lightly rested on Marinette's shoulder. "You did nothing wrong. Please convey my sorrow at my bad reaction this afternoon." Zoe suddenly looked to the sun almost going down and her brows went up. "Goodness, I didn't mean to keep you two so long. You should head back now. Traffic is just as bad at night as it is during the day during these weeks. I'm sorry I didn't offer anything else to eat..."

"It's okay, mama Agreste. Marinette or Sabrina can always cook something when we get back." Chloe reported, throwing her arms around the woman. "I've missed you, mama Agreste. It was nice to talk to you again..."

Zoe patted Chloe's arm with a quiet, motherly look of affection before throwing out an arm her way. Marinette stepped into the small group hug in silence before letting go. "I'll get him these journals. You have my word." She solemnly vowed. Her eyes fell to the stack. "I...don't know if he'll still be mad at me and read them right away though..."

"It's okay. I don't expect him to. They're his now. He can do what he wishes. To me, I've been hanging on to old frustrations and wishes. It's time I let go of them anyway."

"I don't really wanna go, but I wanna check up on Adri-kins. Thanks for the snacks, mama Agreste." Chloe gave one last hug before heading to the hallway, phone at her ear. "I'll call us a cab." She reported before she disappeared.

Marinette looked back to Zoe when Chloe was gone, finding a sweet smile on Zoe's face. She blinked, jerking back a little when Zoe's hand cupped her cheek. "I didn't want to say so with Chloe in the room, but you're beautiful. Really you are. Thank you for taking care of my son. Please continue to be with him in this time. He's my only child...my dear baby...he..."

She embraced the woman as best she could around the books. Zoe gave a shuddery breath before taking a deep exhale and stepping back. Watery green blinked back tears for a second as Chloe's voice returned.

"Okay, they got us all set up and they'll be here in ten." Chloe stopped in front of the two, quickly looking back and forth between them. "Oh my god! Would you stop making mama Agreste cry already?" A finger poked Marinette's chest. "She's got enough on her plate on a daily basis as it! I don't know what you just did to her, but you need to stop it!"

"It's okay, Chloe." Zoe quickly wiped the tear that tried to spill over and almost forced a smile. "She didn't do anything on purpose. Gabriel always did call me an emotional one, but a mother never likes being separated from her child after all."

It was nice that the cab took that ten minutes because they needed that long to say goodbye and walk downstairs. The amount of hugging and well wishes probably made the cabbie annoyed that neither got in the backseat fast enough, even though the meter was going the whole time.

By the time Marinette and Chloe closed the doors and lost sight of Adrien's mother, it must have been about twenty minutes since the cab got there. "Send Sabrina a note, would you?" Marinette quietly reported, looking to the books. "We don't want them heading over there if we're not there, too..."

"Already done." Chloe reported, putting the cell away. She heaved a sigh after a second. "I just want to soak in my Jacuzzi tub at home and have some high quality wine to forget the day."

"The wine sounds nice. If we have some, I think I'll open a bottle when we get back." Marinette agreed.

 _Mama_ _Agreste's_ _house_ _inspiration:_ _lux-residence com/en/sale/apartment/PROVENCE + ALPES + COTE + D%27AZUR/06/MENTON/A16173AF-6AE9-4D7D-E200-283E5B4BAD93/_


	98. Words of love

It was dark. That was the only thing that could get through the clouds cluttering up his head once his eyes finally decided to peek open. He stared into the black for what felt like forever, not really registering where he was outside of being in a bed with the blankets over him. He vaguely remembered having covered himself up, but not to the extent that he was.

Quiet breathing behind his ear finally made it into his brain and he realized he wasn't alone.

The light drape of an arm that he would know for a long time, whether it was there or not, pricked his skin where it rested. The t-shirt only did a fair job of blocking the heat she produced, but it was enough for him to figure out why the bed was so warm. It was one of the reasons, one of the many, why he liked cuddling with her.

What time was it? Darkness in the end of February meant nothing. He didn't remember, nor particularly care, what time he and Sabrina stumbled back inside their rented house in Menton, but he only remembered answering almost all her questions in his head and only nodding when she repeated with yes or no ones.

All he wanted to do the second they got in that taxi was sleep. He felt like he just got done running a marathon in his head and one night wasn't going to refresh him. He really wanted a week of just locking himself in his room at the mansion and ignoring the whole world. But, Natalie wouldn't allow him to sleep in and neither would his father...not even over this. His father had never let him grieve like he wanted to when his mother fled the mansion, why would he be allotted such a time now?

He sighed and carefully moved her arm, not getting any protest as he slid from the bed and stood to look down. His lady...his Marinette. She would never do this with the intent to harm him, but she had messed up more than she ever thought possible. He didn't know how he was going to look at her for a while and not remember the emotions he felt this afternoon and his mother's face. He didn't want to say he felt betrayed because he wasn't; it was just hard to accept that she thought this would be a good surprise.

His mother left for whatever personal reasons she had and never took him with, never contacted him after that. The sting of that had lodged itself into his heart so deep and so long ago that he didn't think it would ever be removed. The sands of time had only blown over the wound and covered it so effectively, smoothing everything so that digging through to find it would only happen with something like this.

He looked to the closed doorway and lightly padded to it, opening it as quietly as possible. Water. He didn't know how long he had been asleep for, but it couldn't have been long because it was still night and no one had packed anything yet to head home.

He padded downstairs, the stove clock illuminating the mysterious time at almost three-thirty. His brows went up, though it was the only emotion on his face. He stared at the blueish time a short distance away for what felt like heartbeats before heading to the fridge and snagging a bottle of water that Chloe insisted they get from the store. He opened it and chugged almost half the bottle before letting go of it to breathe. He took a few deep breaths, idly staring around the dark and finding some of the light switches as nightlights when turned off, and the solitary light over the dining table shining down on a small stack of books.

His brows furrowed a bit as he stared at them, wondering if they were another decoration to the place, but didn't recall them ever being there. Marinette liked having the dining table clean of miscellaneous stuff and if Chloe left something on it, he had an inkling she would have gotten on Chloe's case.

He stared for what felt like forever until his feet finally moved and he pulled out a chair as quietly as possible. The water bottle was plopped down within easy reach as he picked up a small book that was decorated in a way that eluded to it being a journal. The weight disappeared in his hands as he stared at the flowery print, a finger slowly opening the front page on its own accord.

 _January_ _18th_

 _It's_ _cold_ _here._ _I_ _can't_ _get_ _used_ _to_ _living_ _here._ _Every_ _time_ _I_ _get_ _a_ _thought_ _like_ _that,_ _it_ _makes_ _the_ _guilt_ _return_ _with_ _a_ _vengeance._ _But,_ _it's_ _been_ _years_ _already_ _and_ _who_ _am_ _I_ _to_ _go_ _back_ _now?_ _I've_ _made_ _the_ _bed_ _I'm_ _trying_ _to_ _get_ _out_ _of,_ _but_ _part_ _of_ _me_ _still_ _doesn't_ _want_ _to._ _It's_ _a_ _terrible_ _place_ _to_ _be_ _in._ _My_ _therapist_ _said_ _that_ _such_ _indecision_ _is_ _totally_ _normal_ _and_ _a_ _good_ _thing._ _I_ _don't_ _know_ _what_ _part_ _of_ _this_ _is_ _supposed_ _to_ _be_ _good._ _I_ _want_ _to_ _go_ _home,_ _but_ _I_ _just_ _know_ _if_ _I_ _return_ _to_ _that_ _place,_ _it'll_ _all_ _start_ _back_ _up_ _again._ _Gabriel_ _might_ _have_ _helped_ _with_ _the_ _payments_ _despite_ _me_ _having_ _my_ _own_ _money,_ _but_ _I_ _feel_ _guilty_ _for_ _allowing_ _him_ _to_ _do_ _so_ _all_ _over_ _again._ _God,_ _I'm_ _such_ _an_ _idiot._

He would never forget the handwriting. It was on the few notes he had when he was a child that his mother made when they did crafts together. It was something they did together when he could actually cut with scissors properly and hold a pencil. She used to write their names down and he would scribble all over it and laugh. They were still in the desk drawer at home. He even had pictures on his phone of them so he didn't forget.

 _May_ _25th_

 _It's_ _his_ _birthday._ _Every_ _fiber_ _of_ _me_ _wants_ _to_ _send_ _him_ _something_ _or_ _call_ _him_ _up,_ _but_ _what's_ _the_ _point?_ _He_ _should_ _be_ _almost_ _done_ _with_ _his_ _high_ _school_ _studies,_ _even_ _if_ _he_ _doesn't_ _get_ _a_ _break._ _I_ _hope_ _that_ _Gabriel_ _plans_ _him_ _a_ _party._ _I_ _doubt_ _he's_ _had_ _one_ _since_ _he_ _was_ _ten and that's probably my fault._ _The_ _whole_ _thing_ _makes_ _me_ _want_ _to_ _cry_ _all_ _over_ _again._ _If_ _I_ _were_ _there,_ _I'd_ _be_ _able_ _to_ _throw_ _him_ _a_ _party._ _I'd_ _be_ _able_ _to_ _wake_ _him_ _up_ _and_ _sing_ _happy_ _birthday_ _like_ _I_ _used_ _to._ _I'd_ _be_ _able_ _to_ _see_ _him_ _smile._ _I_ _could_ _get_ _those_ _tight_ _hugs_ _he_ _gave,_ _when_ _he_ _used_ _to_ _wrap_ _himself_ _around_ _my_ _leg_ _like_ _a_ _koala_ _and_ _fall_ _to_ _the_ _floor._ _I_ _miss_ _those._ _I_ _miss_ _everything._ _Maybe_ _I_ _should_ _just_ _go_ _get_ _the_ _latest_ _edition_ _he_ _was_ _in,_ _but_ _what's_ _the_ _point?_ _It'll_ _only_ _make_ _me_ _cry_ _for_ _the_ _rest_ _of_ _the_ _day_ _and_ _I_ _just_ _had_ _my_ _session_ _so_ _I_ _can't_ _go_ _back_ _for_ _another_ _week._ _Maybe_ _I_ _should_ _have_ _made_ _an_ _emergency_ _meeting_ _for_ _today._ _I_ _didn't_ _think_ _it_ _would_ _hit_ _me_ _so_ _hard_ _after_ _all_ _this_ _time,_ _but_ _it_ _is._

 _September_ _12th_

 _I_ _heard_ _he_ _started_ _classes,_ _though_ _I_ _saw_ _it_ _in_ _a_ _magazine._ _He_ _had_ _an_ _interview_ _like_ _always,_ _but_ _thankfully_ _the_ _reporter_ _did_ _more_ _than_ _ask_ _about_ _Gabriel's_ _latest_ _line._ _I_ _wish_ _I_ _could_ _congratulation_ _him_ _on_ _finishing_ _school_ _with_ _Natalie._ _I_ _know_ _it_ _was_ _hard._ _I_ _struggled_ _with_ _him_ _and_ _the_ _basics_ _in_ _the_ _beginning,_ _but_ _Gabriel_ _insisted._ _I_ _miss_ _it_ _now._ _He_ _tried,_ _but_ _he_ _was_ _only_ _five_ _at_ _the_ _time._ _I_ _remember_ _how_ _he_ _tried_ _to_ _hold_ _onto_ _his_ _pencil._ _He's_ _in_ _college_ _now._ _I_ _wonder_ _if_ _he's_ _happy_ _to_ _get_ _instruction_ _from_ _paid_ _teachers_ _that_ _don't_ _work_ _for_ _the_ _Agreste_ _name._ _I_ _hope_ _everything_ _goes_ _okay._ _I_ _remember_ _how_ _much_ _fun_ _I_ _had_ _in_ _college_ _and_ _I_ _hope_ _he_ _gets_ _to_ _do_ _the_ _same._ _I_ _hope_ _Gabriel_ _will_ _let_ _him_ _out_ _and_ _enjoy_ _the_ _world_ _now_ _that_ _he's_ _an_ _adult._

The entries were almost every day and they were usually only a few paragraphs. Thoughts about him, a little introspection to something that had happened to her that day, worries about what she had done, anxiety as to her inability to be a good mother, fear that she had messed up everything and him in the process. It went on and on and over half of the entries were specifically about him with the rest mentioning him even a little. He turned the pages as if possessed, unable to stop drinking in the past he had missed for years and was now seeing through a small lens.

He only paused when he stopped to wipe his eyes so he could see in the low lighting so as not not wake Chloe in the room straight ahead.

They were all journals. She mentioned her therapist and what she was doing this for. It was therapeutic writing, and it contained a lot of the anxiety that she had ever since she moved to Menton years ago and still struggled with. The feelings she put down were potent and they made it hard to breathe by the time he finished book two.

He set them very carefully in a stack, keeping them neat and tidy. His mother's personal life was in these pages, something he severely lacked for so long and was now getting to see. He had a feeling that the books being here was intentional by her wish, but he didn't know any other details. He didn't plan on waking anyone to ask. Not at such an early hour. They all had to get on a train back to Nice all too soon.

He also didn't want to share these words with anyone else either.

The glorious reunion that he didn't think would ever occur was cut short due to her fear, extraneous people, and those immediately around him. He didn't want to share this with anyone else while he didn't know what lay in the rest of the books, even if it was probably about him.

Her emotions jumped out at him and even though the entries were short, near daily writings wrapped him up in a life that was years old. He was through the fourth book before he couldn't keep his hands from shaking anymore and was forced to close them. Palms dug into his eyes as he scooted the chair back, cringing a little at the noise it made. It was a small thought in the back of his mind to the rest of the chaos that he had been embroiled in all over again.

At length, unable to stop his tears and needing fresh air, he headed for the backyard out the patio door and let the chill bring him from his head. The t-shirt he had on didn't do any good to keep him warm, but it cooled the burning of his eyes and dulled his senses. He was forced back to the outer world and the confusion he couldn't sort out.

All of the days she put to paper were of how much she missed him. He often wondered shortly after she left if she was happy to be gone from that house which he also insisted on leaving later on. She mentioned how hard it would be to stay, but how much she wanted to be near him.

The will to stand was too much and he sunk over his thighs on the small stretch of concrete. The heat helped a little and he stayed there, the cold on his back trying to force him inside. He easily ignored it as he dully stared out at the lower level and all the lights of the city that were still on with him. The moon wasn't out so everything was dark and the pool disappeared.

He heaved a sigh, not too sure what to do with these items given to him. Given or were they just borrowed? Did she want him to return them so she could see him before he left for Paris? He figured it was okay to read all of them since he had them, but what after? He didn't think he'd be emotionally stable enough to handle meeting up for breakfast or anything like that. If his mother met them at the train station, he had a feeling he'd scoop her up in his arms and either steal her with or stay in Menton with her.

"I almost didn't see you out here..."

He jumped and whirled around, butt hitting the concrete as the door slid closed that he left open.

"I wondered where the draft was coming from. I heard the screech of the chair and didn't feel you in bed."

A light jacket that she made upon his insistence was draped over his shoulders. The cold was snuffed out like a dead candle, but it felt good. It brought a small sense of warmth to his chest that woke his veins up and made him situate to a more comfortable sitting stance. He stayed a little ways away though, the whole thing crashing over him again.

"I'm sorry, Adrien."

He looked at her in the dark, face even and eyes waiting for her to continue.

"This is all my fault for so many reasons, even if I just wanted you to see your mother again. That's all I ever wanted. I hope you can believe me."

He met her gaze for what felt like hours before looking to the ground below. "You could've...should've...told me before we ever set foot on that place. You knew how I felt about her..."

"I know. That's why I wanted to get you here. I didn't mean to trick you. I didn't think you would want to come if I told you."

His eyes shot up and narrowed a little. "It's my mother. Of course I would have shown up to see her." He quickly looked away before he started yelling. "You led me here without a valid reason why and made something up to cover it. You all but lied to me on something this important when you never should have. You involved Chloe and Sabrina, but never me. I'm the one person that should have known about this since the beginning!"

"I wanted to tell you, but your father swore me to secrecy on it! The first time I met with him, he told me about your mother and it was such a shock. I heard so much and I was astonished, but I was trying to get back in his good graces, so I agreed."

He paused, eyes staring at her. "The first time...? Has there been a second?" The silence after that told him all he wanted to know and he felt suffocated in a whole new way. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair, almost wanting to rip the whole thing out. "This is unbelievable..." Fingers pinched the bridge of his nose. "What else have you kept from me? Maybe it's time you start at the beginning of this mess and stop bullshitting me."

A shiver ran through her spine at the curse and force of his quiet tone. Chilled hands clenched together as she pressed her lips together before going back to the first meeting and detailing what she had learned from Gabriel about Zoe. She left nothing out, going back through their dinner and why she burst out like she did in the restaurant. She went into the weeks after when she snuck out those few times before midnight to meet with him and discuss things that mostly didn't have to do with his mother. She went into the daily life topics that allowed Gabriel to get to know her and visa versa. She added the Noel bit when Chloe went into her room and what it was really for. She gave what she could of Chloe's texts about his mother's location and the conversation with Sabrina before she also went down.

He listened to it all with a stoic face and a small needle poking its way through his chest as she described how she figured a way to get him here without saying what they were really coming for. She went into the conversations she snuck in with Chloe and Sabrina when he wasn't around or paying attention and their actions ever since they got to Menton made sense. The stores much farther away from the house and the lack of convenience. The multiple times he saw the back of his mother's head and was so tortured by wondering who she was because she seemed so familiar.

He wondered if the lady he saw with his mother those few times was her therapist and figured it must be true. She never wrote about outings with other friends, nor ever meeting people for coffee or lunch. There was never anything like that and he wondered if she didn't make friends on purpose or just couldn't because of her own guilt. Did she not want to start her own life down here because she knew she shouldn't be here in the first place?

Marinette went into the visit to his mother's house, going into all of the magazines she had over the years of every catalog he had been in, and their short visit there.

"Mama Zoe told me that those books are yours. She said she had more, but some of them were still at the mansion. She said you can do what you want with them, but I figured that we'd be taking them back with us." Marinette scooted forward until her knees touched his, hand slowly taking his. "I..." She paused and looked to her legs. "I knew things would be hard. I can't imagine such an incident ending well under any circumstances. I wanted to be there for you as much as I could. I know I failed at a lot of this and now it's too late. We leave soon, but if you want, we could always head over early in the morning before we go to the station. I have pictures of the place that Chloe sent me in January. We know sort of when she leaves the place if she goes anywhere and I still remember the building number."

He sighed, unable to respond either way. His eyes drifted down to stare at her fingers, finding her hands cold and brought them to his mouth. He kissed her knuckles lightly before covering her hand with his. "Your hands are cold, my lady..." He sidestepped.

Teeth bit her lip as she looked away. "I...don't expect you to forgive me for messing this up. I only know that if I had the chance to meet up with my relatives in China whom I haven't seen in years that I'd jump at the chance...whether someone told me why I was going or not. I just wanted you to be happy, Adrien. Your father said he wanted to tell you a few times, but held out because your mother didn't want him to. She was just scared of what you'd do and it would've broken her heart if you pushed her away. She's been living here this whole time with that fear and loving you so much at the same time. Please believe me."

He scooted forward a little more and rested his head on her shoulder, feeling her fingers go through his hair a second later. They sat on the cold ground for moments in that pose before he inhaled the cold and sat back. "It's cold...we should head inside and warm up. I bet dawn will be here soon enough." Green quickly looked to the sky, finding the barest tinges of dusk coming their way. "If you don't want to head back to bed, we should make some coffee. I know I could use the pick-me-up."

She stood with him and hugged him. "Do you want to see your mother before we head home? I think you should. You never know when you'll get this chance again!"

He lightly patted her back, kissing her forehead. "At this point, I don't think the meeting would go as you plan it without someone else getting hurt. I'm happy to know that she's here and she's alive, even if she's still having some issues. I don't want to upset her more than I already have and it sounds like she had a tough night last night." He pulled her back and gave her a small smile. "But thank you for thinking of me. I know I was mad at you for not telling me what was going on, but I know you did it with me in mind. I don't hate you for that."

She kissed him, nearly in tears that he had pretty much forgiven her with those words. He returned the gesture before pulling away and giving her a little push toward the door. He opened it for her and closed it as quietly as he could behind him.


	99. Worthless recon

_April_ _25th_

 _I_ _had_ _a_ _fun_ _dream_ _last_ _night._ _All_ _I_ _can_ _remember_ _is_ _that_ _it_ _involved_ _Adrien_ _as_ _a_ _baby,_ _maybe_ _one_ _or_ _two_ _years_ _old._ _I_ _woke_ _up_ _faster_ _than_ _I_ _wanted_ _to,_ _so_ _I_ _don't_ _remember_ _more_ _than_ _his_ _smile_ _and_ _being_ _happy._ _I_ _tried_ _to_ _go_ _back_ _to_ _sleep,_ _but_ _I_ _couldn't_ _do_ _it._ _I_ _spent_ _the_ _whole_ _morning_ _trying_ _as_ _hard_ _as_ _I_ _could_ _to_ _recall_ _the_ _whole_ _thing_ _and_ _any_ _details,_ _but_ _it_ _wouldn't_ _come_ _to_ _me._ _It_ _wouldn't_ _leave_ _me_ _alone_ _though._ _I_ _felt_ _like_ _my_ _head_ _was_ _in_ _a_ _fog_ _for_ _half_ _the_ _day, so I_ _had_ _to_ _take_ _a_ _trip_ _to_ _the_ _store_ _and_ _the_ _shoreline_ _to_ _clear_ _it_ _a_ _little._ _I_ _was_ _better_ _by_ _dinner,_ _but_ _I_ _don't_ _know_ _if_ _I'll_ _be_ _lucky_ _enough_ _to_ _dream_ _that_ _again._ _I_ _wish_ _I_ _had_ _his_ _baby_ _pictures_ _with_ _me_ _so_ _I_ _could_ _go_ _through_ _them_ _again._ _The_ _one_ _good_ _thing_ _about_ _having_ _a_ _designer_ _as_ _a_ _husband_ _is_ _that_ _we_ _never_ _lacked_ _in_ _photos_ _once_ _he_ _started_ _Gabriel._ _I_ _wish_ _I_ _could_ _get_ _them,_ _but_ _the_ _albums_ _are_ _all_ _at_ _the_ _mansion_ _on_ _the_ _laptop._ _It_ _makes_ _me_ _wish_ _I_ _hadn't_ _left_ _in_ _such_ _a_ _haste._ _I_ _probably_ _shouldn't_ _have_ _left_ _at_ _all._

The plane ride was too short to go through the rest of the journals. He obsessively reread them, starting over the same book once he finished with the last page. He only got through two more before having to stow them in his carry-on once they started descending for Paris. There was one he hadn't gone through yet today and he was dying to go through it, but they were going through a little turbulence and Marinette had a hold of one hand.

His fingers itched to get back to her journals and read every single one, though he'd already read them all once in less than a day. He obsessed over her words and the days she spent without him while he thought she was gone. In a small way, he was regaining her life by the snippets she bequeathed to him. There was no more need to wonder about such things after she left. He knew first hand how much she thought of him, how much she wrote about him, discussed in her regular sessions, and the wishes to see him again.

" _She said you can do what you want with them. She_ _said_ _she_ _had_ _more,_ _but_ _some_ _of_ _them_ _were_ _still_ _at_ _the_ _mansion."_

His hand tightened on the strap of his pack as he followed the trio through the airport. How lucky that he had gone back home once Marinette moved out of the dorms after she graduated. He didn't move back because of his father's original comments on not being able to take care of himself; more because of with not wanting to see anyone else across that window. He didn't want to wipe out those three years with someone else in her space. It was a personal reason to protect the precious times that had brought him to her, what ended them together in these recent moments. It was going to come in handy more than he thought possible.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Of course he is. He's told you that five times now."

"Chloe..."

He smiled with a little more force than he felt and looked Marinette's way as she squeezed his hand with concerned eyes. He leaned down and kissed her forehead as Chloe started talking to someone probably at the hotel to send her driver. "I'm probably better than I've been in days." He quietly confessed, giving her fingers a squeeze. "Don't worry about me. I'm going to take these new books of mine home and take good care of them."

Raven brows furrowed, the level of worry not going down. "Do you want to come over to my parent's for the afternoon? I know I'd be doing work stuff and checking the website for new orders, but if you don't want to be alone, just let me know and -"

He adjusted the finger he abruptly put over her lips to lightly bop her nose. "Your sewing machine is going to be louder than I want it to be right now and I think I prefer the quiet. If I need you, you know I'll text or call you."

She looked down with a slight pout, but nodded. "I'll video chat you once dinner is over, okay? We won't get to hang out much with school taking up your days. I'll try to see when mama and papa will let me cook dinner so you can join us again."

His free arm lightly wrapped around her and gave a brisk rub over her back. "Sounds like a plan. I'm going to call a cab for us, unless you were going to ride the bus?"

Marinette looked to the pair discussing what seemed to be the rest of the day. Sabrina was arguing that she needed to go grovel at her boss's feet and Chloe was objecting with food and coffee since it was already the afternoon. "I think I'll take the bus. I kind of want the time to myself, too."

He kissed the top of her head again before getting his phone out of his jacket and opening up his text log.

 _Natalie,_ _I'm_ _back_ _in_ _Paris._ _Is_ _father_ _at_ _home_ _or_ _going_ _to_ _be_ _at_ _home anytime soon?_ _I_ _need_ _a_ _ride_ _back_ _to_ _the_ _house,_ _please._

In mere moments, there was a response.

 _Your_ _father_ _plans_ _to_ _be_ _in_ _meetings_ _until_ _dinner_ _and_ _he_ _says_ _that_ _you're_ _free_ _to_ _eat_ _as_ _you_ _please._ _I've_ _messaged_ _the_ _driver_ _who_ _has_ _confirmed_ _he's_ _starting_ _the_ _car_ _now_ _to_ _come_ _pick_ _you_ _up._ _He'll_ _send_ _a_ _message_ _when_ _he_ _gets_ _close._

His lips twitched. That'd do quite nicely. It was obvious that his father was going to be busy and sending a message was more along the lines of common protocol than actually needing to know. He knew his father's workaholic schedule because it hadn't really changed. Now though was when he was actually happy that his father was going to be absent for a while.

"Seems like my driver is on his way. Do you want a ride back to your place since we live so close?"

Marinette looked to the exit doors with thoughtful eyes. "I suppose it would allow me to spend a little more time with you." She looked down with a smile. "Maybe we can go get something at the nearest cafe or something while we wait..."

"Not me. I haven't had Cesaire cooking in forever and I'm holding out for the restaurant." Chloe piped up, crossing her arms with a disdained look. "Life is going to get back to normal for me." She looked to Sabrina. "You staying or coming with me?"

Sabrina gave Chloe a dry look. "Your driver isn't going to be here for probably fifteen minutes minimum. I say we get some coffee."

Chloe smirked. "Just can't break the habit, can you?"

"Whatever we're going to do, I say we get out of the main exit way so people stop crowding us." He piped up, getting nudged yet again.

"Fine then. Adri-kin's idea; he can pay."

"Chloe! You're rich and can afford everything. Don't be so lazy."

"Just because you're poor doesn't mean you can't buy your own stuff, too, Mademoiselle entrepreneur."

Marinette scowled. "I had no intention of letting him pay for me and I usually try to bat away his attempts whenever I see his credit card come out of his wallet, so don't give me that leeching bit."

"You grab one arm, I'll take the other." Sabrina broke in, looking Adrien's way with a slightly annoyed look.

He smiled and entwined his arm with Marinette's while Sabrina took Chloe's hand before the bickering escalated. The pair ignored the retorts that they couldn't walk as they drug the two across the entry area to a line of cafes in the airport. Neither let go or said a word in response until they were in front of a row of various cafes and intermixed restaurants.

"I say we go in this one." Adrien announced with a grin, pointing to a Naked shop.

He got three looks that clearly stated he was an idiot.

"Let's just do the Eric Kayser." Sabrina said with a shake of her head.

Dark blue eyes looked to the row of baked goods in the window and wrinkled her nose. "I have to say I won't be eating anything from there..." Marinette retorted.

"Oh my god, let's not be so damn picky!" Chloe burst out. A finger whipped out to a nearby Brasserie. "Let's just go in there and sit down. It looks better than the options two three came up with."

Marinette cringed a little at how well designed the tables were from what she could see. "I said I have money, but not that much." A hand covered her face. "Maybe this was a bad idea. By the time we actually get in someplace, both drivers are going to be here."

"I see our usual cafe chain a few paces from here." Adrien piped up, hand pointing the opposite direction the others were facing. "We can just get a coffee and sit down for a bit. Not like I don't mind standing right now, but it's the afternoon and traffic is probably not the best. I bet we'll be waiting more than the time either of our contacts said."

Without giving opportunity to debate anything else, he tugged Marinette to the direction of their store, knowing the menu would be good enough for everyone. The two of them knew it by heart and just because it was in the airport and not by the dorms meant nothing. It would have Chloe's espresso and a decaf for Sabrina.

As he figured, traffic took his driver a tad longer from wherever he came from. A text ten minutes later gave him the updated location on where the man was, which was maybe a third of the way to the airport. Not to mention getting into such a large area was going to to take time as it was. He tried to keep the anxious leg tapping to a minimum as the trio at the table with him devolved into random subjects involving the afternoon, Marinette's projects, Sabrina fretting over her job, and Chloe gushing over a long soak in her extensive tub. He listened, his bag nestled in between his ankles, wanting to grab a journal and reread it again while he waited.

It was hard to resist digging in his bag for them. He didn't want anyone looking at him; no looks of concern or pity. He wanted to give the appearance of having left everything in Menton and coming back to business as usual.

Totally opposite of his plans though.

The moment he was going to get home, he was on a mission. While he was well aware of there being locks on the doors, he wanted to assume his father wouldn't have locked his mother's room to keep everyone out. The only time he had been there was when he initially heard she was gone and ran to search for her. It was time to go back and use the clues she had given in her journals and to Marinette. He wanted to think that his mother had given him keys to something he didn't know about yet, but would soon find out. All he needed was to get away from everyone here, find a few minutes of solitude, and begin his search.

01010

"Shit..."

Of course the door was locked. It had to be fucking locked in a place where there wasn't anyone around! No one who could get past such a high security fence, let alone bypass all the cameras and other features his father had installed. No one but them and Natalie were ever really in this place and that was saying too much. The mansion was really just an empty box that held all of their stuff and fragments of the past inside the paint of its walls.

And still, his mother's room was locked.

"Shit..." He swore again, hand rubbing over his mouth in thought. "Now what?"

He had wanted to get this done in secret so his father had no idea about this. If Gabriel didn't want Marinette saying anything because of his mother's wishes and his father had absolutely no idea just where he had flown to, he didn't know if his father would be livid for him knowing or not. He hadn't thought out such a detail in advance. He hadn't considered anything past going through his mother's things and reliving the past that she had given him.

Keys. He needed keys. The door was fairly sturdy and he knew jimmying it open wouldn't work. It wouldn't take a crowbar, but he didn't have the right tools to unlock it without physically damaging something.

He looked to the lower level, eyes on his father's closed study door that he was always in. The odds of the keys being in that private room of his were high, but he would never know unless he searched it. "Now or never..." He mumbled, mentally steeling himself and hurrying down the stairs. If not now, he had no idea just when the opportunity would come up again while he had this kind of time available. "Just make sure to put everything back exactly as he has it..." He quietly chanted, opening the door to the office and almost tiptoeing in as if his father were in the mansion.

The place had more black and white than the main entrance and it was oppressive. The walls were black on one side, the floor was checkered, and it was almost empty. The center stage and sunken chairs his father had installed looked strange, but he had stood on the mini catwalk enough to know why it was there. The mass amount of pictures of him in younger years and the huge one of his mother were the only personal touches to the room.

He quickly shut the door and pulled all of Natalie's desk drawers open, just in case. She kept tabs on so much of his father's life, she would probably know where the keys were...and he would ask if he wanted it reported to his father in a heartbeat. There was actually very little in it though and he figured most of it was just a place for her to sit and work on the computer.

He stood with a sigh, fingers scrubbing his cheek as he looked to the screen near the catwalk. His father had no real desk anywhere for his own stuff. It was unlikely that he'd use Natalie's for anything and he just looked through it anyway. The keys weren't going to be tucked under any of the curtains either; his father wasn't like that.

He sighed, shoulder slumping, as he idly meandered across the room and stopped in front of his mother's portrait. The avante garde design had never made sense to him and he never bothered to ask his father just what his mother's "dress" was supposed to be made out of. He looked up to the even face, remembering the perfume he had never forgotten and body he had been able to hold after so long. She was the same in the picture as she had been in real life, but he had vague recollection of that painting being done when he was a child.

He stared for what felt like forever, feeling his plan fizzle into smoke. He didn't think anything outside of another plane ride in April when he had vacation was going to get him answers. He didn't need an argument with his father over this.

He sighed again and let his head slump over the painting, knowing that he wouldn't mess the artwork with the seal protector on it.

He startled when his head kept moving forward and jumped back.

He stared at the painting with wide eyes, fingers slowly coming up to touch where his forehead just was. He pushed just a little and felt a give where there should have been wall. He didn't know much about canvas, but he expected there to be a backing or more support than what he didn't feel just now!

His hands kept testing the area all the way to the corners, eyes following his fingers as he felt the edges of the frame and found enough of a gap between the portrait and wall the stick his index in. Adrenaline running high, he jerked the wood frame a little too hard and expected it to come crashing to the floor...only to find it swing open instead.

There was a chunk of metal the exact size of his mother's portrait with a large square donating space for a safe. It even had a high-tech code system with the pad showing spaces for six numbers! The whole thing was out of some spy movie and he stared entranced, his original goals forgotten. Time slipped away and he lost himself in where he was before mentally slapping himself awake and wondering how much time he had.

Six digits with nine numbers on the pad. Hundreds of thousands of codes he could try and he could keep going until he was blue in the face or the safe locked up in some sci-fi security measure. He had never known such a thing was here and didn't want to start pressing buttons without any inkling of the code. Using birthdays or addresses was too cliche, though he did try both all three birthdays just in case. None of them allowed entry and his jaw clenched.

Damn...he was going to have to confront his father over this. He really didn't want to bring this up, but it seems that in order to get into his mother's room for those original journals which might still be inside, he needed to get the safe open to see if there were keys. It was highly plausible that his father locked the door to her memories from him and put them in a hidden safe that he never had seen until now.

"Damn...now what?" He mumbled, scrubbing a hand through his hair.

Perhaps it was time to actually broach the subject which had been living with them the whole time. He had seen for himself that his mother didn't mind it if he saw her or knew where she was, so he might as well tell his father. He only hoped that this didn't screw Marinette in the future with his father's good graces that she had tried so hard to get back into. A finger rose and idly rubbed his lips in thought. 'Hmm...she didn't tell me because she was sworn not to and this wouldn't bode well for her again if I say something...'

There was no good way around this. He wasn't going to let such a thing slide again now that he knew his mother was less than a two hour plane ride away. It was going to put Marinette in a precarious position with his father, but at least jail wouldn't be involved this time. He wasn't going to be able to get into his mother's room without breaking into it, and he also wasn't going to get this safe open without his father's assistance.

He knew the best idea would be to give Marinette a heads up to let her know what he intended on doing, but he merely closed the portrait as if it had never been opened and headed back to his room. He plopped on his bed, burying a very tired head in his pillows for a few blissful moments.

'Doesn't look like I'll be chatting with her tonight...' He realized. 'I should let her know what's going on, but I suppose I'll have to see what happens once father gets home tonight. No point in getting her freaked out over this if I can word things just right...'


	100. Father-son chat

Noises floated in past the door he left open and his eyes fluttered open. He turned over with a quiet groan, hand going through his hair. 'I...fell asleep...?'

The muffled tone of his father reached past the sleep in his ears with Natalie's coming in seconds later. He felt a slight poke of something and looked down to find one of his mother's journals at his side. He closed it before the pages bent and put the elastic tie around the corner. He stood and stretched, a yawn escaping before he set it carefully on top of the stack on his desk.

A nap. Just a few minutes. All he had wanted was to close oh so tired eyes and relax with his mother's words surrounding his brain. He didn't think he would have fallen asleep for so long and when he turned his computer monitor on, he found it was past ten. His eyes widened and he whipped to the door. "Why didn't anyone wake me for dinner?" He grumbled, hand idly going to his stomach. IF their cook was still around, he didn't want to put him out for one or two dinners this late.

A hand scrubbed his face, feeling the stubble of the day starting to poke out. He heaved a sigh and shook his head, needing a snack at the very least to get past what he had slept through in the need to calm down.

He might as well get on with this. Now was better than later since it already was late enough as it was. But...with Natalie in the room or just them two? She had been employed by his father for as long as he could remember and knew everything. She probably knew what really happened back then; he just bet she did. So what was the point in sparing her yet another argument that she didn't need to hear but probably would anyway? She was probably accustomed to them by now anyway.

Sad, but true...

If he was hungry, nerves were starting to cover up in the pits of his stomach that made him want to be sick. He licked his lips and found his mouth already dry.

He stopped at the doorway, lights streaming past the darkness that had befallen his room. How ironic and it wasn't lost on him. While he might have been laying comfortable in the darkness with the possibility to move into the light, it was almost the other way around. The darkness was hiding everything he was scared of doing; the light showing clearly what he didn't want to know.

He knew his father was going to get mad, shut him down, start asking questions he didn't want to answer, or all of them. He still couldn't find the right words to ask what the hidden safe was doing behind his mother's portrait; say that he had met his mother when he originally had no idea where she fled to; or request entrance into her room. The only way about this was to be honest and blunt, but he didn't want his father hating Marinette all over again.

Hands dove through his hair and pulled, aggravation encompassing him at the inability to find the answer. He didn't know what to do and he couldn't figure out the details. His arms flew down to his sides as he stared to the area of the lower floor, to the office he bet his father was in right now. While he might have spent a whole day at Gabriel, he usually had Natalie organize a few things for tomorrow before sending her off and actually relaxing.

He took the stairs slower than intended, eyes on the closed door. He stopped at the bottom, quiet invading his ears and suffocating him. It was oddly quiet, but not really. It was always tomb-like and it was the primary reason he fled once he was able. This right here, this feeling of being trapped in such a large space, must have been what his mother escaped.

He opened the office door without knocking, expecting his father to say something about his privacy, but it was quiet.

His eyes jerked in both directions to find the place empty. He stood in the doorway, utterly confused since he knew they had returned. He didn't imagine anything because they had woken him up with the noise.

"Adrien? What are you doing in my office?"

He whipped around to find the pair coming out of the dining room.

"I was informed that you hadn't eaten dinner yet. Are you planning on joining me? I only had one meal prepared for when I came home because I assume you would have done so already."

He mentally shook himself and closed the door behind him. He nervously cleared his throat, fingers twitching at his sides, heart racing. He couldn't remember to breathe, but the air wouldn't enter the vice around his chest anyway.

This was it. No backing out now. No more running away. Face it, be strong, and fight for what had slipped away years ago.

"I...n – need to...discuss something with you..."

He berated the meekness of his voice and straightened his shoulders a little when his father gave him an odd look at the behavior. He took a deep breath and hesitated for a second when he tried to push the words out. His hands clenched, nails digging into his skin, and he focused on the pain to get out of his emotions.

"I...met with mother yesterday."

There was no shock, no expression to meet his sudden confession. His father stared as if not hearing, but that was impossible. The room was large, but he hadn't whispered. He held his breath, feeling like a pin drop would shock him to the point of jumping to the second floor. Every nerve was turned on and attuned to the voice with words he knew wouldn't be positive. How could something good come out of such words when it had been hidden from him for so long?

There was a sudden sigh, a look of tiredness. A hand reached up and took off his glasses, the free one rubbing his eyes. "I figured something like this might happen..." Gabriel mumbled.

He bristled a little. "Don't blame her for this!" He defended, taking offense at the quiet tone. He took a step forward, glaring a bit. "She was more honest with me than you had been! Don't you think I'd want to know about where mother ended up at? She wasn't even far!"

"That was her wish, not mine, though I had honored it for a long time. It wasn't my intent to tell Marinette; it came out accidentally, though I don't regret having done so."

"Then why did you even go into it if you never meant to tell her? Did you know something like this was going to happen? Did you plan for it?"

"I didn't intend to invite her to the mansion that night with informing her of your mother's location, but it seems that things turned out as I'd hoped." The glasses slowly went back onto his father's face. "If you would actually listen to my words, you would understand, Adrien..."

He felt like he was being berated. His jaw clenched, but there was no anger or negativity on his father's face. They stared at each other, him expecting much more than what his father was giving him right now. Gabriel didn't look as upset as he was right now and that was a first. When the thought hit, he took a mental step back and took in Gabriel again. The news didn't fill the man with a sense of upset, it was like he almost expected this to happen. There was only a look of aging on his face, as if the circles suddenly became more pronounced from an issue a decade old weighing him down.

His eyes narrowed in confusion. "You...did you...want her to tell me? Did you know she'd tell me?"

Gabriel heaved a sigh and looked to the side, eyes darting around the squares a little. "While I might have been the one responsible for the whole incident, to which I take full blame, it was never my purpose to remain quiet on your mother's whereabouts. When I finally got into contact with her the first time, she begged me not to say anything. She was scared that you'd or want to go with her when she was mentally ill and unable to take care of you. There was nothing she could do and she asked me to do what I could until she was able to see you again. The decision was a bad one and I didn't like it, but I honored her wishes."

He couldn't feel his fingers, or his feet. His legs has disappeared somewhere in the realization that his father had never wanted his mother to shield herself from their lives. Gabriel probably never wanted her to leave anymore than he did.

Everything he had thought, had been told, had assumed since the day it happened, crashed and broke into a million pieces, and his legs gave out.

Natalie was at his side, a hand on his back, though she didn't say more than a few questions about how he was. Her voice seemed only slightly concerned and he wondered if she knew all of this would happen some day. He looked up and stared at her as if hardly knowing her, hardly seeing who she was with the designer suit and glasses on. She was a textbook of knowledge on this incident, but she seemed a stranger right now. She kept just as quiet about the whole thing as his father had.

He looked to his hands, unable to find his voice. A million questions roamed through his head, shouted as loud as they could to be heard first, begging to be asked. The heels of his palms dug into his eyes as he struggled to ignore the pain in his chest and catch his breath.

"Y...you... Why...couldn't I know this...earlier? Why now? Why not bring her back sooner if you didn't want her to leave in the first place?"

Gabriel sighed and stopped in front of the pair. "You can't force those with anxiety and depression back into society before they're ready. I requested her to come back, but she denied me every time. Many times when we spoke over the phone, she broke down and started panicking at the things I suggested. She wasn't emotionally stable and I feared what would happen if you two ever met again. I never agreed with her decisions, but did what I could to help her get better to take responsibility for my actions. Despite what you may think and have been told, we've always had your welfare in mind every step of the way. Even if it was painful, it was for your benefit."

"How is telling me nothing for my benefit?!" He shot back with a watery glare. "I would've been happy with a phone call, a recorded message...!"

Gabriel shook his head. "Your behavior the first month after told me you would've wanted more than what she could give. I forced you to live with this in a harsh way with no good method to help you cope. That's my fault and it'll always be my fault. We were all in a bad situation, Adrien. You lost your mother, I lost my wife, and she was stuck in between the two of us."

A hand covered his face. The whole thing washed over him again and again, but he couldn't claw his way to safety and hide from this. It was ripped away with his father's honesty and he wondered if he could've ever dealt with such a blow when he were a child. Perhaps his father was right; he would've been devastated to know that his mother was alive but afraid to come back to the one who loved her more than life itself. She had always been his life and she knew that. He told her he loved her so many times in a day when he was a child that it was amazing she never got tired of hearing it. After reading her books, he wondered if that was what kept her sane and able to hide what his father was suggesting.

Hands touched his arm and he slowly looked to find Natalie trying to get him to stand. He sluggishly went, barely able to keep upright and let her keep him stable.

"Please...begin from the beginning..." He heard himself murmur, raw eyes on his father's.

Gabriel nodded quietly and put a single hand on his shoulder before opening the door to the office and letting them all in. He shut it behind him and went for the depression in the floor, taking a spot on the long couch.

He plopped down across the way, eyes gravitating to the photos of himself when he was much younger and just as naive. He lost himself in his surrounding as he looked to the even appearance of his mother's eyes on him. He quickly blinked tears back, head too tossed around to make sense of anything right now.

His attention was ripped back to his father when Gabriel began as far back as the day his mother went missing. He left out nothing, giving peeks of his own emotions and thoughts about when she left, where she went, what Gabriel felt when she contacted him, and the discussions they had about her getting help. The man went into detail about the company he had hired and the checks he periodically received about his wife's care without her knowing. He explained that it was in hopes of being able to physically approach her and discuss the future they could hopefully repair.

When the magazine work came out, Adrien was shocked that his mother would reveal herself in such a way that he could've found. He listened intently as his father described the help he had given to a rival company in order to help his wife get back on her feet...and how Gabriel had allowed him to go to Milan for the travel so he wouldn't be able to get a hold of any French magazine with his mother's photos in them.

He figured his father let him go to broaden his horizons for the global business he was the spokesperson of. He had never considered such a hidden alternative!

Through the quiet, monotone voice that spoke truth after truth, his past was taken away, ripped up, and scattered. A new, blank sheet was quickly being put together with new colors and different shading to reorganize what he thought he knew into the world as his father had seen it for so many years. The distance, the lack of fatherly love, the business conversation, the need to keep him busy... It all had a specific motive revolving around his own family.

All that he had known his father to be was blurred and smudged into something resembling Van Gogh's Starry Night. The chunks of emotion Gabriel would leak during the story made him feel sorry for the man and terrible at how he thought his father was a hardhearted individual who didn't love him. The times his father snapped at him when he was younger were merely due to the stress of an inexperienced father who didn't have a mother at his side to help raise their child. He resembled his mother in so many ways; color of their eyes, hair, and smile, that it must have reminded his father every time they looked at each other. His father did what he could as a single parent while also trying to successfully run a global business.

His eyes gravitated to the floor somewhere through the story, boring holes into the checkered pattern as he listened. His head was numb, heart untangling the web and getting stuck into new knots with every piece his father gave. He listened as Gabriel went into the move to Menton, how he had someone check out the town and paid for her place. How he still paid for the treatment she was regularly receiving.

That woman must have been her therapist. It didn't make sense why his mother was out having a session and he couldn't imagine meeting someone out of an office.

'Anxiety and depression...?'

Had his mother been practicing being out in public? Was all that he'd seen trials to get her back into the world?

He answered questions about what he had done the last week. He explained what Marinette and Chloe and Sabrina had planned, and the times he'd seen his mother around Menton. He was honest in the reactions his mother had and the meeting Marinette had with her at her place. "Had I been in my right mind more, I would've loved to go visit her...but it still makes me unable to control myself." He quietly confessed. "She gave me a bunch of journals that she filled out over the years. She said there were some left in her room and I wanted to read them, but the door is locked." His cheeks flushed. "I...c – came in here...looking for the key...but...well...I...kind of found the safe by accident..."

Gabriel stared at his son for a moment before he sighed. "Yes...the key is there. Along with a few very important things that I cherish. If she gave you those journals...I suppose she's accepted a few things now." He stood and looked to his wife's portrait. "I suppose it's time to open her room to you as there's nothing left to hide now."

He followed his father to the safe, watching him enter a code that was actually their marriage date. His eyes widened. His father punched that code in every time because as a precious memory he could always remember. Why would he have used that set of numbers otherwise?

A small picture of his mother's smiling face greeted him, along with a few other strange items. There was a brochure on Tibet and a strange, blue pin. "What's that?" He asked, brow furrowed.

Gabriel's lips twitched. "I bought this for your mother during our honeymoon." He explained, hand tapping the folded paper. "She only wore it a few times because she didn't want it to break or tear the clothes I had made for her. She left it in her room, so I put it in the safe just in case."

His father grabbed the keys off the lower shelf and shut the safe. The painting also went back to its usual spot before they both turned for the door. Gabriel paused and looked to the far corner. "Natalie. We're done for tonight. Please be back at the normal hour tomorrow."

He had forgotten she was still there! He watched Natalie quietly grab her things together before wishing them goodnight on her way out. The hole of her existence was there until his father moved for the open door and he hurried behind. Neither said anything on their way up the stairs. He was too nervous for words, feeling like he would only fumble after all that had been laid out. His heart was racing as it was, making it hard to breathe.

The door finally opened and he expected mustiness, but the smell was clean. There wasn't a spec of dust anywhere and the plants that had often decorated his mother's desk were still well kept. He looked to his father in shock, mouth dropping open. "The...dust...there's nothing..."

"There never has been." Gabriel quietly supplied. He walked ahead, hands clasped behind his back as always.

He stared at his father, legs lead in the doorway in his stupefaction. He couldn't take his eyes off the back of the man he knew less and less as the minutes ticked on. A person who had someone clean his mother's room and tend to the plants so the place looked like it had been when she was still here...so there was a place ready for her if she so chose to occupy it again. There must have been a copy of the key made unless they knew the combination to the safe, which was more impossible.

The feeling of nostalgia hit so hard that he almost expected his mother to come waltzing through the bedroom door with her hands on her hips wondering why they were suddenly in her room. The pale peaches, blues, beige, and whites of the carpets, blankets, pillows, curtains surrounded them. The curtains were open and darkness streamed into the room, making the lights seem to stand out more. The night made the place feel much smaller than his room was, but he knew his father created such a place to keep him occupied in it when he was younger because it was hard to take him outside safely. This place was her own sanctuary with so many of her own touches.

He walked around the furniture and stood just behind his father, seeing the flowers on the plants next to him and dog statue she had next to the fireplace.

" _Why_ _can't_ _I_ _have_ _a_ _pet?"_

" _I'm_ _sorry,_ _Adrien_ _dear,_ _but_ _your_ _father_ _is_ _allergic_ _to_ _dogs_ _and_ _doesn't_ _like_ _cats."_

" _What_ _about_ _fish?_ _I_ _can_ _keep_ _the_ _tank_ _in_ _my_ _room_ _and_ _he_ _doesn't_ _ever_ _have_ _to_ _know_ _it's_ _there."_

" _I'm_ _sorry,_ _dear._ _I_ _wouldn't_ _mind_ _a_ _pet_ _either._ _I_ _had_ _a_ _dog_ _when_ _I_ _was_ _a_ _little_ _girl, and that's_ _why_ _I have this_ _here."_

Everything was here. All of the memories he forgot or buried, wept over or smiled at on occasion. His chest was going to implode with the feelings brought on by stepping in a room he hadn't been in for so many years. A hand gripped at his heart, the pressure not enough to distract what it was already going through. His breathing was irregular, erratic and it was hard to see around the tears.

His father slowly plodded over the carpet and disappeared past the wall with the fireplace. He hurried to follow and stared at emptiness.

" _Where_ _is_ _it?!_ _Where_ _are_ _mother's_ _things?!_ _Why_ _are_ _they_ _gone?"_

He harshly swallowed at the panicked voice of his younger self as it echoed in his ears. Empty hanger rods and shelving seemed like a dead city everyone had fled. She had taken only her clothes and left, leaving her room more or less as it had always been after she took what she needed...although he bet his father put most of it back where he remembered she kept it.

Gabriel's expensive shoes clacked over the wood flooring before he knelt in front of the drawers and pulled the bottom ones open. A small stack of books revealed themselves and he reached down to pick them up. He stood and held the missing journals out. "These are from when she lived here before she fled." His eyes fell to them, face subdued. "I read them many years ago, but I never forgot the majority of what she inscribed on these pages. I warn you, it's not going to be the same as whatever she gave you from Menton."

He numbly took the books and heard his father clomp out of the closet, eyes on the leather bound pieces in his fingers. A thread of excitement and urge to know went through him, but the words of his father sent a thread of unease at immediately sitting on the floor and delving through the books. He finally found his feet and followed his father, finding the man gone. He looked around, hearing the bedroom door quietly click shut and felt he was shut into a world he honestly didn't know he should be entering.

He slowly ambled to the ottoman and put the extra books down, flipping to the first page on the top stack.

 _August_ _18th_

 _Why?!_ _Why_ _can't_ _he_ _just_ _stop_ _working_ _so_ _much?!_ _Doesn't_ _he_ _realize_ _he_ _has_ _a_ _family?!_ _I_ _don't_ _see_ _him_ _for_ _almost_ _twelve_ _hours_ _a_ _day,_ _every_ _day,_ _every_ _week!_ _It's_ _insane!_ _What's_ _the_ _point_ _in_ _being_ _married_ _to_ _a_ _man_ _who_ _you_ _don't_ _ever_ _spend_ _any_ _time_ _with?!_ _What's_ _the_ _point_ _in_ _even_ _being_ _here_ _if_ _all_ _I_ _do_ _is_ _stay_ _at_ _home_ _every_ _day_ _with_ _a_ _son_ _whom_ _I_ _don't_ _know_ _how_ _to_ _raise?_ _Did_ _he_ _not_ _even_ _think_ _that_ _I_ _need_ _help_ _here?!_ _I_ _don't_ _know_ _what_ _I'm_ _doing!_ _Those_ _stupid_ _birth_ _classes_ _don't_ _prepare_ _you_ _for_ _this_ _stuff!_

He shivered at the animosity immediately coming out at him. It was so different from the wishful, regretful words he had known on the flight back.

 _August_ _29th_

 _I_ _tried_ _to_ _talk_ _to_ _him_ _and_ _he_ _didn't_ _want_ _to_ _listen._ _He_ _just_ _made_ _some_ _stupid,_ _lame_ _excuse_ _about_ _being_ _too_ _tired_ _after_ _work_ _to_ _spend_ _any_ _time_ _together._ _Of_ _course,_ _whenever_ _he_ _says_ _stuff_ _like_ _that,_ _I_ _can't_ _very_ _well_ _budge_ _in_ _and_ _demand_ _his_ _time,_ _can_ _I?_ _I_ _want_ _to_ _scream_ _at_ _him_ _that_ _I'm_ _here_ _too_ _and_ _I_ _miss_ _him,_ _but_ _the_ _last_ _time_ _I_ _tried_ _to_ _talk_ _to_ _him,_ _he_ _got_ _upset_ _with_ _me._ _Does_ _he_ _even_ _want_ _to_ _try_ _anymore?_ _What's_ _the_ _point?_

Such a sentiment continued for two more months of entries. Frustration at being ignored by a man who was a workaholic to keep his company from sinking amongst the others already out there. Anger at being alone with just him whenever he was rowdy and mischievous as a toddler. The feelings reached out and nearly strangled him with their potency, and he nearly forced himself to read the second journal when he finished the first. The words about him as a young child, still too small to do much independently, tore the healing hole he thought she stitched up.

 _November_ _11th_

 _I_ _should_ _just_ _leave._ _I'm_ _so_ _sick_ _of_ _this._ _I_ _do_ _the_ _same_ _thing_ _every_ _day,_ _day_ _in_ _and_ _out._ _It_ _doesn't_ _end._ _There's_ _no_ _sense_ _in_ _talking_ _to_ _him._ _I'm_ _sick_ _of_ _having_ _to_ _try_ _and_ _calm_ _down_ _Adrien_ _when_ _he_ _asks_ _why_ _daddy_ _isn't_ _home_ _and_ _crying_ _because_ _he_ _wants_ _to_ _see_ _him._ _He's_ _so_ _demanding_ _and_ _wants_ _to_ _do_ _things_ _I_ _can't_ _give._ _He's_ _loud_ _and_ _needy._ _I_ _can't_ _take_ _care_ _of_ _myself_ _and_ _figure_ _out_ _my_ _own_ _emotions_ _like_ _this!_ _He_ _doesn't_ _eat_ _the_ _food_ _I_ _try_ _and_ _cook_ _and_ _all_ _that_ _time_ _is_ _wasted!_ _There's_ _no_ _one_ _I_ _can_ _talk_ _to_ _about_ _helping_ _him_ _either!_ _What_ _am_ _I_ _supposed_ _to_ _do_ _here?!_

Plans and ideas of leaving became much more prevalent. The anger twisted to hatred and many times she would write in all caps as if to express it properly. Thoughts about where to go came out with little to back them up. She knew she was now an Agreste with everything that name held in the social world. She was Gabriel's wife and had lost her own identity.

 _January_ _5th_

 _I_ _transferred_ _enough_ _money_ _over_ _time_ _to_ _a_ _separate_ _account_ _so_ _that_ _it_ _doesn't_ _look_ _suspicious._ _I_ _bet_ _by_ _this_ _time_ _he_ _has_ _someone_ _watching_ _my_ _money_ _anyway._ _He_ _has_ _plenty_ _of_ _people_ _doing_ _things_ _for_ _him_ _because_ _he_ _doesn't_ _bother_ _to_ _do_ _them_ _for_ _himself._ _He_ _doesn't_ _even_ _want_ _to_ _raise_ _his_ _own_ _son_ _properly._ _I_ _thought_ _that_ _was_ _supposed_ _to_ _be_ _something_ _the_ _two_ _of_ _us_ _were_ _to_ _be_ _doing_ _together,_ _but_ _we_ _never_ _agreed_ _on_ _anything_ _since_ _he_ _was_ _a_ _baby._ _My_ _way_ _of_ _raising_ _him_ _has_ _never_ _matched_ _with_ _his._ _His_ _rules_ _were_ _always_ _so_ _different_ _and_ _we_ _always_ _swept_ _it_ _under_ _the_ _rug._ _I_ _think_ _that's_ _where_ _it_ _began._ _Well,_ _I'm_ _going_ _to_ _end_ _it_ _with_ _this._ _He_ _needs_ _to_ _spend_ _time_ _with_ _his_ _own_ _son_ _if_ _I_ _have_ _to_ _do_ _this_ _to_ _make_ _him._ _Maybe_ _I_ _should_ _make_ _him_ _for_ _once._ _He_ _barely_ _sees_ _Adrien_ _anyway._ _He_ _probably_ _forgot_ _what_ _he_ _looks_ _like._

There were blank pages of the last journal, the final date the night before she left. There was a detailed, lengthy explanation of when she planned on heading out, where she was going to hide in for the time being, and ideas on where to continue her own life. None of them included him.

He stared at the blank pages, mind evaporated and thought impossible. He couldn't find the strength to sit up straight, let alone close the book and put it down. He stared as if words would magically appear and finish out the story, that it would all have been a joke she was cruelly forming because she was left in the house with him all day.

Eventually his eyes begged for relief and he closed them, only to find tears forming. Not because they were dry, but because life fast-forwarded back to the present moment and more puzzle pieces allowed him to see what he had been missing this whole time. His face fell into his hands as he struggled to breathe. The past was revealed with so many reasons forming a truth he had never been told, was now glad he had never been told. Had he known such things, his little heart would have broken and he probably would have resented his mother if he heard she hated him for her own specific reasons that were no longer valid. That she was "stuck" raising him by herself with no experience and no help.

His father had made the right choice after all...as hard as that had already been for the both of them.

He propped his head up on his hands, idly staring at the blackness from the many windows in the corner of her room. It was odd to be in here right now. He didn't know what to do, what to feel. How did he proceed after knowing all of this? A past that was mostly over and done, but had affected everyone so profoundly that there was no going back from it and hardly a way to continue on from here.

Fingers raked through his hair. He swore he could almost smell her perfume still faintly there, probably attached to the couches and floor where it fell whenever she missed herself.

"Adrien."

He jumped and whirled around, finding his father had changed into night clothes while he was reading. He put the books to the side and stood to face Gabriel, unable to find any words to say.

Father and son stared at each other for what felt like forever. Gabriel gave a small sigh, lips tilting the barest of degrees. "If you haven't eaten dinner, let's go get you something from the kitchen. I'm not good in it, but I'm sure the chef has something left over for now."

He nodded, not really in the mood to eat since he couldn't find where his stomach had fled. Perhaps when morning showed up he would be ravenous, so he should let his father do as he wanted and take care of him right now.

Going back into that black and white tiled entrance and taking the steps to the main floor made him feel more like a puppet following his father's directions than his own being. He went mainly because he had nothing else he wanted to do right now. This was the most logical option; he needed to eat even though he didn't feel like it. All he wanted to do was curl up in his bed by himself; he had no heart to read the newer journals right now though.

He stood off to the side while his father rummaged through most of the place, finally pulling out something from the fridge and searching through more cupboards to put it in a bowl. He watched his father fumble in a manner that didn't suit him, didn't suit the image he had created over the last decade.

He slowly took the bowl that was outstretched to him, looking at it in silence.

"I don't know what it is, but it should taste okay. If it's too hot, just let it cool down a bit." Gabriel mumbled, looking away.

He watched his father go through drawers until he found utensils and then headed to the door connecting to the dining room. He followed like a mute child, the towel keeping his hands safe starting to get a little too warm. He went to his side of the extensive table and put the bowl down, shaking his fingers a little to cool them.

When he heard the chair screeching on his father's side, he looked up to find Gabriel sitting down to his own meal he also hadn't had yet.

His eyes widened. What time was it right now?! He looked to find a clock, but there was none in this room. He didn't have his phone and had no clue. It had to be late though; he remembered laying down about seven-thirty and laid in bed for a while. He woke up after ten he recalled, but they had been talking for a while. Was it midnight now? Did that mean his father hadn't eaten for hours and waited for him?!

A stab of potent concern and love for the man across the way almost made him get out of his chair, but he restrained himself. What would he say or do once he crossed the table? He couldn't even figure out how to form syllables because his head wasn't working.

"Didn't you...eat earlier?"

Gabriel looked up from his meal and put the fork down before it got to his mouth. "I had something like when the sun went down, but nothing since then."

His eyes widened. That was barely six!

He looked to the food he missed, lips pressing together. "I'm sorry...for making you miss dinner until now. You...must have been starving..."

Gabriel finished chewing before sitting back in the chair with a napkin. He waited to speak until green eyes lifted and met his across the way. "You came first." He looked down. "Perhaps, I made you wait for far too long as it was."

The urge to get out of his chair intensified so much that he gripped his fork to the point of pain. What would he do? He hadn't hugged his father in years! It felt odd to suddenly want to do so now.

Tears formed his eyes as the only thing he could do with his emotions right now. He covered his face to hide them, though he was obviously distressed. "What..." He sniffled. "What can we do now?"

"I'd say that you've already done everything that can be done, Adrien."

A fist slammed on the table, watery, insistent eyes glaring across wood. "No! This can't be all there is to it! I made contact! She wasn't mad at me for it! It has to be better than it was...I know it is!"

Gabriel sighed and looked to the family portrait of them all together. "So...do you want to bring her back here after reading those journals? Knowing now what she went through, after seeing her and any reaction she may have given at seeing you again so suddenly? What do you think you can do that I haven't already thought of by now?"

The final question forced him to calm down. He looked to his food, mind trying to work and chugging terribly. Nothing came to him, but his love for his mother wouldn't let him end it. He didn't want this to be how they lived their lives from here on out!

"I...I don't know what I can do...but let me think of something." He quietly vowed. He looked up to find his father looking at him, curious at his words. He kept eye contact, feeling resolve growing from the fires in his heart. "Give me a little time. I need time to think. Let me get some things together and I'll discuss it with you. Please."

Gabriel finally nodded and looked back to his food. "Alright. Take your time and come to me when you're ready."

 _Zoe's_ _bedroom_ _inspiration:_ _drkarchitects com/20413/id/nice-elegant-master-bedroom-design-ideas-10-divine-master-bedrooms-candice-olson-hgtv/_

 _Closet_ _inspiration:_ _homestratosphere com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/hz-farmhouse-closet18-091817 jpg_


	101. Scheming big

He didn't want to go to school. He didn't care about anything, but April was coming soon and then he'd have a break. He needed it more than before. He just wanted to sink into the comfy mattress in his room with a good dose of wine and sleep for half of his vacation.

Life ticked on outside of the mansion as if it hadn't heard of the dark enlightenment from that night mere weeks ago. Marinette invited him to Juleka's birthday and he went more as a means of not sinking into the doldrums that his life had become. Going over his mother's journals, the good and the bad ones, didn't give him any clear means as to how he could get her back home. Mentioning his ideas to his father were all shot down with questions that detailed how his schemes wouldn't work...though some of them were kind of silly...

Bringing her back to Paris and getting her an apartment? Even if it had been years, once he was spotted in public with his mother, the random pedestrians would upload pictures onto the net and then the media would be after her again.

Going to see her during his vacation times or on the weekend? It was quite the plane fare for that, no matter how much money they had, and Gabriel was a non-stop business. There were still responsibilities with modeling and grad school that he had. He'd be lucky to get down three or four times in a year and that was just too few for his liking.

Bringing her to a place outside the city? Zoe had spent so much time and effort getting used to one place after running away again and relocating her by herself might damage all she'd worked for. Menton was small and far from Paris and that was the point.

He didn't have his mother's phone number, nor her physical address, nor information on whether or not she used the internet that often. All he knew from her journals was that she did basic chores, met with her therapist, watched a few shows, and collected magazines that he was in. She talked about the plants at her place, the ocean view she often admired, and the quiet tea times in her rocker.

He refused to be stuck like this and mentally vowed that the moment exams were over in April that he was going to fly back to Menton and find her. He would get Chloe to text him his mother's address and knock on her door. He missed her greatly, even if it'd only been a few weeks, and wanted to give her a proper hug that wouldn't squeeze the life out of her.

Life as he knew it was hard to deal with. Any afternoon conversation with his father he didn't know how to take. He would admit that he once disliked the man because of his emotionless state. Now that his father actually dined with him the recent times he asked, it was almost beginning to feel like they could get closer. He was nervous actually eating in the presence of his father, something he hardly remembered doing, and he couldn't speak. Eating was hard and he forced most of those meals past his lips through the nerves that beat his spoon every time.

He finally managed to get Marinette away from her business for an evening in the middle of March from the dire urge to talk to her about all this. She had already read everything from the magazines, was told the truth by his father, and saw with her own eyes his reaction to seeing his mother. He trusted her and wanted to confide in her. While his father might have shot down all his other ideas, she might have something that he hadn't thought up yet. She was crafty that way.

"I'm sad you didn't come to me with this earlier."

"I didn't do it on purpose." He murmured, taking a sip of his wine before putting it back down. The hum of the restaurant at the late dinner hour wasn't a proper shield for him to speak loud enough without worrying about who heard. "It's just...been a long few weeks..."

She looked to the plate full of vegetables and chicken. She sighed before reaching across the table and taking the hand he was about to spear a piece of food with and kept him from doing so. "You know...had we been at the dorms, I would've found out about this a long time ago..."

He paused at the subdued tone and looked at her. She gave something of a sad smile before breaking eye contact. "I...can't help but feel that we don't see each other that much now because of my business..."

He threaded their fingers and squeezed hers. "That is not intentional and I know it." He denied, face serious. "You're not ignoring me and I have school all day. It's an unmanageable. I'm almost done with the semester and I've got two more annoying years of it."

She nodded, not looking at him. "I know. I was in it. It is annoying." She smiled, but it didn't last long. Teeth bit her lip for a moment before she slowly took her hand away and went for her food.

He could tell she took a bite of her meal more to give her hands something to do than because she was hungry. Something was going on with her while he was occupied with his own issues and a thread of panic speared him. "What's the matter?" He asked, heart picking up speed a little.

Her mouth opened, lips pressing together for a moment. "I... Can I be honest?"

He almost started sweating at the tone with that question. Everything froze as he almost forced a nod out.

She fiddled with the napkin, eyes jumping around the plate. "I...I've been feeling...very bad lately. Guilty. It hit me the last time we talked and I realized that I'm busy for almost ten hours a day making things! That's all I do right now! I don't get to see you like I want anymore! You're in school and I work during that primarily, but when you're out, I still keep at it! I have the weirdest hours, though I always have. I've fallen back into my workaholic tendencies now that we're not near each other. It's easy for me to forget you're still there a phone call away." Deep blue fell to the tablecloth. "I'm sorry for ignoring you, Adrien."

He jumped at his name, relieve flooding him. "No, no...nothing like that, my lady." He moved everything out of his way and rested his arms on the table. He placed his palms up and looked her way, only moving to curl her fingers in his when she finally moved to put her hands over his. "I know that you're busy; I've always known. I know and understand more than most about the pressure that you're under, and I've tried to respect that. I pushed back when I felt like I needed to, but you've done an amazing job at balancing your work life and our relationship. Of course it's been easy to get preoccupied with what you're doing. You're the only one in your business and you're trying to keep it from sinking. I -"

He stared into confused blue, a sense of deja vu hitting him so hard that the condolences he was spouting washed away and disappeared.

His father. His mother. This feeling. This...this was what they had probably gone through in the beginning. He never asked his father exactly why he decided to be the owner of a fashion company. Why did he chose to start that type of business? Was he good in nothing else? He knew his father was talented because many magazines had acknowledged it.

Had such a conversation happened within the Agreste family already that he hadn't been privy to?

" _I_ _don't_ _like_ _being_ _reminded_ _of_ _my_ _old_ _home_ _life._ _You_ _act_ _way_ _too_ _similar_ _to_ _my_ _father_ _and_ _I_ _felt_ _too_ _much_ _like_ _my_ _mother._ _I_ _didn't_ _like_ _it. If you needed space, I gave it to you. I was doing nothing next to you and I finally saw the pointlessness in it all. You had no time for me...you made no time for me."_

He sat back, mind whirling. Those words he had over a year ago to her were probably what his mother had said to his father before she left. He had almost not forgiven Marinette, but she had apologized and made an effort to include him. He stayed despite wanting to give up, something his mother didn't get the advantage of.

His hands slackened as everything hit him like a sledgehammer. He inched back to the chair, ignoring Marinette's questions about what was going on with him. He felt like history was about ready to repeat itself and a strong urge to retaliate against it hit him. His breathing became choppy as that memory of her apology and his mother's angry words hit.

That disconnect was what those two lacked. It was what they needed, but would never be able to get due to the distance of time. While he didn't think his mother would ever be able to be a "normal" married couple with his father in charge of Gabriel, they had nothing to connect the canyons they were standing at the edge of. They were only staring at each other with no supplies to build a bridge across the way.

His eyes whipped to Marinette, seeing her confusion. Her words dug into his brain and the worry she presented at their positions mimicked history. No. He wasn't going to let something like this repeat itself. He had gone through a lot in his past to get to this point, to have someone to rely on and trust, to speak and laugh with. He refused to let things end up like his parents!

"Adrien, are you alright? What's going on with you?"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng...do you love me?"

She blinked, feeling the quick touch of his hands over hers again. A raven brow rose as she gave him a look that claimed him an idiot. "Of course I do, why are you asking me that now? We've been together for over a year already."

"Do you trust me?"

She gave him a dry look. "Of course I do, kitty. Just what are you trying to get at?"

He stared at her, searching her face as thoughts and ideas filled his head. "I just want to say that you shouldn't be concerned about ignoring me. I'll never worry about something like that in the future and I don't want you to either. I want you to focus on your business because we'll both be busy all too soon."

She heaved an annoyed sigh when he said nothing else and went back to eating as if nothing happened. "And just what does that mean? Are we going somewhere during April? Are you planning on us going to Menton again or something?"

His lips twitched around his fork as he kept his eyes on his food. "I'd love to head down and surprise my mother during my vacation, but I'm beginning to think I'll be unable to." He slowly chewed, forgetting and reminding himself that he was in the middle of eating as those thoughts kept coming to him. "Yea...I doubt next month will be doable..."

"Adrien Agreste, you'd better spill what's going on in that head of yours or I'm not staying past the end of this meal for dessert."

He felt too pleased with the idea and it was making him giddy. It was perfect and he'd already had thoughts in the past about it, but he usually brushed them off as mere romance and bad timing. She was helping him put the pieces together and he wanted to spill everything right now...but that would spoil the surprise, now wouldn't it?

"How has Alya been doing lately?" He sidestepped, unable to hide his smile.

"Don't change the subject!"

"I'm not. I actually need to talk to Alya about something and I just figured out what I'm going to say." His lips moved higher and he went for his wine glass to calm himself down. He really wanted to say something and it was hard not to blurt it out! "Did she find a job at a station yet?"

She nodded. "She got one around the beginning of February when I had that whole debacle going on with your mother. I didn't keep in contact with her much since I was diverting most of my attention to Chloe and Ladybug though. Madame Chamack; you remember her, right? Alya's always been a huge fan of her work and when she was over during the holidays getting pastries, Alya picked her brain about the tv station. Madame pulled a few strings and got her in. Alya, I'm pretty sure, is in heaven right now, to Nino's disappointment about her days being taken up whenever he's off."

He snorted. "Nino is just as busy. He once told me that the two of us are the same as them so I know he's adjusting just fine." He twirled the stem of his glass, staring at it thoughtfully. "Marinette, would you be mad if I got you more business?"

She stared at him. "What are you talking about?!" She tried not to slam her hands on the table. "First you gush about your mother, then spout random nonsense, then Alya, and now go on about Ladybug? Just what are you thinking?! Tell me, Monsieur!"

He reached across the relatively small table and took her hands, standing enough to get the reach to bring her lips to his mouth. He purposely missed her knuckles and hit one finger in particular. "I would like to promise right now that you have no worries about me or us. I'll personally make sure of that. You do your thing and I'll do what I can to help you. Now, please tell me you're not going to skip out on dessert so I can have another glass of wine with you and hear about the fall designs I know you have set up for my line."

She sputtered a little, looking at him like he was crazy. "You think I intended on going anywhere with Little Black Cat further than that bet with your father? I don't intend on making it a men's line spin-off from Ladybug! I already have something of a men's line setup there. The few things I made for you after that were to keep you quiet after all the whining you did."

He smirked and moved his items back to finish up what he hadn't even halfway finished. "I can always hope, my lady. I say we get a menu in five minutes because I'm suddenly hungry all over again."

She rolled her eyes. "I can't keep up with the rollercoaster that is your brain, kitty..."

He waited till she was talking to the waitress about their chunk of cake to whip his phone out.

 _I need to talk to you at your earliest free hour. It's really important and I'm pretty sure I'm going to make you famous._

01010

"What the hell was that text about? You refused to talk to me until I met you for coffee!"

He grinned in excitement and leaned over his arms on the small table. A small latte rested in front of him with an espresso in front of Alya. Green moved to Nino sitting with her and a little exuberance died. "I didn't think I'd need to say this with him here..."

Nino sniffed in feigned disdain. "Nice to see you too, buddy. It's been months, but no worries."

He gave a sheepish smile at the lack of contact with his good friend. "Unintentional I assure you, Nino."

"You said my earliest convenience and I happened to be spending time with Nino when I figured now was as good a time as ever. Besides, I didn't think he'd care since we haven't hung out since Noel."

Had it been so long already?! "Ah...ha ha...yea... I didn't mean for that to happen. A lot has happened with Marinette moving out and me moving back home and seeing my mom and -"

"Your mom?!" Nino leaned over the small table so quickly it almost toppled in his direction. He patted Alya on the back as she coughed up the espresso. "Okay, why the hell is it that every time we see either of you, so much shit happens that you never tell us! Explain the whole thing before you tell Alya what you wanted to meet her in person to divulge."

He did. It took much longer and derailed the happy tingles he got whenever he thought about his plan, although the past was kind of connected to what he was going to talk with Alya about.

"Damn it, Adrien..." Alya mumbled, shaking her head. A hand rubbed her temples. "I thought shit had died down after Nathaniel's stupid stunt at Noel. Why does trouble seem to gravitate around you two? The rest of us are just trying to get normal jobs and live life peacefully here. And I thought it was weird that neither of us had been pulled in with the frequency like we had last year..."

"Speak for yourself, babe." Nino scoffed with a grin. "Nowhere did I sign up for 'normal'. Boring."

"I hate to break it to you, Alya, but it's going to get a lot more complicated than that for you." Adrien broke in, grinning all over again. The thrum he felt almost every day since that night only a few days ago went through him and he welcomed it along with the daydreams it gave. "This scheme includes you, so I hope you don't mind if I ask your help on this. I could go to someone else, but I want to work with you specifically. Call it a payback if you want for all the headache you've had to endure for the last year." He shrugged.

"Okay, now I'm suspicious." Alya looked over the rims of her glasses with scrutinizing eyes for a moment. "You've got something that is almost bubbling out of you, so spill."

He cradled the hot cup in his hands, nearly beaming. "I wanna marry Marinette."

Thankfully, Adrien waited for them to not drink anything when he dropped such earth-shattering news on them. The pair gawked his way for what felt like hours, unable to find the right words or questions about the sudden statement.

"And I need your help." He continued when they were still silent.

"W – w – what the hell?!" Alya burst out, feeling some of the joy Adrien had been showing since they met. "Why didn't I hear about this yet? There's no way that girl would've kept me in the dark about such big news!"

The thread tangled as it cringed away from the possible Cesaire onslaught he mentally braced for. "I...actually...haven't asked her...yet."

"What?" Nino scratched his head. "Alright, Agreste...I know you like your plans and pranks and schemes, but we need more details than that."

He laid it all out. Everything he realized since that night at dinner with Marinette and what he'd worked out in his head during class. He explained as much as he could, knowing Alya could put the pieces together and add a few things he didn't know about being in the television business.

"So...that's what you meant when you said I was going to be famous..." She mumbled, giving him a dry look. "I thought you were just kidding. How do you even think Madame Chamack is going to allow such a thing to a rookie with no proper training anyway?"

"You've got your degree and from what Marinette has described, you've been doing such things for years. If I agree to do so only with you, she would if I promise to make your station the first one to break the news, right? Isn't that how that stuff works? The ratings will be huge."

Alya heaved a sigh and resisted the urge to put her head on the table. "How do you think we're going to elude to such an upcoming show without giving away the points of conversation? We have to say something to entice the audience to tune in."

"You can work that out, you're good at that." He leaned in, eyes insistent. "I bet you already know what to say for a commercial, don't you?"

Alya took her glasses off and covered her eyes with a hand. "I do...but..." She finally put her glasses on and took a sip of the espresso to give her the caffeine high to fix her struggling brain. "She's going to kill me, you know this... If she doesn't, I imagine your father just might."

Adrien grinned. "Although he'd be upset, I know just what to say to get past his defenses." His eyes crinkled through his smile. "He might just start designing my tux the moment he gets past the news. It could spiral into a whole wedding line for Gabriel. I'm sure the money made off that would soothe the hurt at not telling him to get him prepared before I drop the bomb."

Nino chuckled. "Your dad is going to flip, if I know the man at all. You'd better be prepared for more than just this interview, Agreste..."

"I'm more than prepped." His fist came up, facing Nino sideways. "I'll need to hire a dj for my reception after all. A little advertisement for screwing up with father last fall. It's the least I can do."

Nino grinned and bumped the side of their fists together. "No harm, no foul, buddy."

Green turned to brown. "And I don't mind if it's televised for all to see."

Alya smirked. "No, but she might."

He chuckled, feeling too good. "Not if I make sure we get a copy of the ceremony to watch later whenever we want."

Alya's smile fell a little. "Have you included Ladybug in this at all?"

Adrien looked to his latte and took a quick drink. "I want to help and I've always offered. She's never taken me up on it, but if I can get her to market Little Black Cat a tad more heavily, I could be the spokesperson for that."

"And what do you think your father is going to do with Gabriel? He's going to have a conniption." Nino queried.

Adrien's eyes glazed over a little as he idly looked across the cafe, a dreamy smile on his face. "Oh...I think he wouldn't mind it if he had some...'fresh' models to work with..."

Alya stared for a second until she got his hidden meaning and her mouth dropped open. "I think Marinette is going to take offense if she can't put that trio in Ladybug onsies first..."

Confused green looked Alya's way. "Trio? Trio of what?"

Alya smirked and looked at Nino who only shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Oh..." Alya picked up the espresso cup and stopped it at her lips. "I'm only privy to some classified information about you and the family she wanted to start when she was in middle school..." Sip. "Especially the number of kids she wanted to have..."

Adrien had the decency to flush a little. "What? Trio? Of kids? Middle school?! She didn't even know me back then!" His mouth gaped open, gaze flickering back between Alya's snickering and Nino's sigh.

Nino watched Adrien's eyes widen to saucers and could feel the need to know leech out and grab him. "She'll probably never go into such detail, but that girl has been smitten with you for a long time. I can still remember quite clearly the three kids, house, and the hamster."

Alya started laughing, mouth covering her hand to keep it from going across the cafe. "That...g – girl..." She managed. "She had it...s – so bad..."

He watched Alya wipe tears from her eyes and felt another piece of the puzzle that was fate fit into his life. He worried a little that she wouldn't accept, but after hearing this, he knew it would be fine. While he might get a tongue-lashing out of this, he knew that if he had to get a ring ready from a company who could keep its mouth shut, it might soothe a few things over. It wasn't traditional, but that was fine with him. It would be special and he made a mental note to be sure to get a recording of the broadcast later to keep for the memories.


	102. On national television

" _Any_ _questions,_ _Monsieur_ _Agreste?"_

" _How_ _are_ _we_ _going_ _to_ _keep_ _my_ _father_ _out_ _of_ _the_ _loop_ _until_ _the_ _broadcast_ _goes_ _on?"_

" _The_ _commercials_ _can_ _be_ _worded_ _so_ _that_ _no_ _one_ _in_ _the_ _company_ _knows_ _exactly_ _who_ _it_ _is_ _if_ _you_ _want._ _Or_ _we_ _can_ _elude_ _to_ _a_ _world-famous_ _celebrity_ _on_ _our_ _show_ _with_ _groundbreaking_ _news_ _to_ _give_ _for_ _the_ _first_ _time_ _ever."_

" _I_ _don't_ _want_ _anyone_ _to_ _know_ _it's_ _me_ _until_ _we_ _go_ _live._ _I_ _don't_ _want_ _either_ _of_ _them_ _to_ _kill_ _me_ _before_ _I_ _step_ _onto_ _the_ _set."_

" _Honestly,_ _with_ _as_ _busy_ _as_ _Marinette_ _has_ _been_ _in_ _her_ _room_ _with_ _Ladybug,_ _she_ _might_ _not_ _even_ _hear_ _about_ _it_ _if_ _her_ _parents_ _aren't_ _watching_ _it_ _at_ _the_ _time."_

" _When_ _can_ _we_ _broadcast_ _this?_ _My_ _father_ _is_ _usually_ _in_ _meetings_ _in_ _the_ _early_ _afternoon_ _and_ _I'd_ _actually_ _like_ _to_ _line_ _this_ _up_ _with_ _my_ _birthday._ _Seems like a good present for myself."_

" _We_ _might_ _be_ _able_ _to_ _tease_ _it_ _a_ _few_ _times_ _before_ _then._ _If_ _you_ _had_ _come_ _any_ _later,_ _we_ _would_ _have_ _had_ _our_ _line-up_ _filled_ _by_ _then,_ _but_ _we're_ _fairly_ _open._ _The_ _early_ _afternoon_ _would_ _allow_ _for_ _a_ _later_ _show_ _for_ _those_ _who_ _missed_ _it_ _for_ _work."_

" _You_ _had_ _the_ _questions_ _ready,_ _right_ _Alya?"_

" _Here."_

" _Heh._ _As_ _expected._ _You're_ _pretty_ _ruthless..."_

" _She's_ _my_ _best_ _friend_ _and_ _you_ _never_ _DID_ _say_ _how_ _the_ _two_ _of_ _you_ _met."_

" _Ha_ _ha...well,_ _if_ _she_ _doesn't_ _kill_ _me_ _for_ _that_ _one,_ _I_ _suppose_ _it'd_ _be_ _finally_ _okay_ _to_ _air_ _it._ _Except,_ _it'll_ _be_ _on_ _national_ _television_ _and_ _I_ _know_ _father_ _isn't_ _going_ _to_ _like_ _the_ _image_ _I_ _give_ _away._ _I'll_ _just_ _let_ _you_ _find_ _out_ _firsthand_ _then."_

" _Okay._ _I_ _like_ _that_ _less_ _and_ _less_ _the_ _more_ _you_ _skip_ _around_ _it._ _Madame_ _Chamack,_ _you_ _may_ _need_ _to_ _sit_ _in_ _with_ _me_ _in_ _case_ _I_ _lose_ _my_ _top_ _on_ _this_ _boy."_

" _Of_ _course_ _I'll_ _be_ _pairing_ _the_ _interview_ _with_ _you._ _I_ _don't_ _think_ _my_ _superiors_ _would_ _like_ _it_ _very_ _much_ _if_ _you_ _were_ _out_ _there_ _with_ _such_ _a_ _celebrity."_

" _Do_ _you_ _mind_ _if_ _I_ _wear_ _something_ _fun_ _to_ _the_ _interview?"_

" _Depends_ _on_ _what_ _your_ _definition_ _of_ _'fun'_ _is,_ _Adrien._ _I_ _don't_ _like_ _that_ _tone..."_

" _Don't_ _worry._ _I'll_ _make_ _it_ _appropriate_ _for_ _the_ _show."_

He grinned and adjusted the boots. The red shirt with the holes in the sleeves hugged his chest and the black pants Marinette made to finish the outfit covered his legs. The loops and straps, the grommets at the side stitches made it look almost Gothic, but he liked it. He asked the tv's makeup staff to leave his hair wild to match the clothes and give just the barest of eyeliner around top and bottom lids. Not as much as the photos last fall, but enough to pair well with the outfit and make him be the man she painted him to be with Little Black Cat. If this didn't break the Gabriel image, he didn't know what would.

So many things were going to get accomplished today. He was going to openly advertise for her business like he always wanted, announce his intentions, divulge the truth of a few things, and send out the most important invite to his marriage. There would be plenty of time, despite how busy they were all going to be, so he hoped things would turn out okay. He had ideas of what he wanted to do after grad school was over, but that was still two years away. Once it was all over, he could turn his eyes to the more important things...like finding out about those schoolgirl marriage plans of hers.

He chuckled and looked over at the knock on the door. He opened it at the call to the set and followed the employee to the set. His eyes danced around from top to bottom as he ambled in, falling behind, but still stopping near Alya and Madame Chamack.

"Like it?"

"Did you find out about my outfit and match the surroundings?" He cracked, looking at the stark colors of black and white, much like those in the mansion.

Alya smirked. "I didn't see all of Little Black Cat, but I saw a few those pants and shoes and it was something I could deduce. Although it's not warm enough to wear leather anymore, I figured Marinette would have something interesting for us to see." A brow rose when she looked at the sleeves. "Very...interesting..."

He followed Alya's gaze and smiled. "I thought it was kind of out there at first, but it's grown on me." He touched the skin peeking out and rubbed his arm a little. "This is my favorite piece. It's the first and it was my birthday present last year. You can ask about it if you want."

Nadja Chamack came up and looked at the outfit as well. "Are those..cat paws on your feet?"

He looked down with a grin and moved one of his feet at the ankle. "And how! We can highlight them too if you want."

"I think we'll have too many questions for this segment." Nadja responded, turning for the simple trio chair set with a few side tables. "We gave an hour and, if you're right, we won't be able to get to all of our questions anyway."

"I know I'm right." He said, followed and picking the single chair across the duo. He looked to the cameras slowly moving in for the right angle. "I'm betting you'll have one commercial break to prepare, so keep him in mind."

Nadja and Alya nodded. Alya took a small pile of note cards, Nadja taking the other half. They looked at them until one of the other crew announced places for all and quiet on the set. The countdown began and then the show was running.

He wanted to fidget just a little as the pair gave the opening introduction and their names. He watched Alya give a thirty second talk about their "special guest" who was a friend of hers and had requested an interview with her specifically in order spill his big news. He felt the camera pan over to him, finally showing the rest of the set and couldn't help but adjust in his seat just a little.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us today, Adrien."

"It was my pleasure Alya. I wanted you to be the first to know what was going on, and you're good at your job. No offense, Madame Chamack."

Nadja smiled. "None taken, Adrien."

Alya pretended to look to the cards idly resting in her hands before sitting forward a little. "So, I think we should all discuss what the elephant in the room is concerning your clothes. This can't be Gabriel, am I correct? How about you tell your first dirty secret about this line you're wearing."

He grinned. This was too much fun. "Should I catwalk it, too?"

Alya snorted. "We can do that another time. What's the label name?"

He was too pleased with himself right now. "It's a label I stumbled upon a year ago. This shirt was actually a birthday present from the designer herself. She's a one-person business, but she has vision and talent, and she's been at it since her teenager days. Her original line is called Ladybug and she's available online, but she made me a spin-off line called Little Black Cat."

"Why that name?"

"I like cats and she said I look best in black." He grinned.

"How much did something like this cost?" Nadja interjected. "Is this something normal that she does?"

He shook his head. "She mainly works on Ladybug, which is easily found online by the way. I'm trying to get her to market this to the masses. She made this especially with me in mind."

"And how did you meet this designer?"

"We actually went to the same fashion school for three years. She graduated, but I'm still in it."

"You told me there was something special about how the two of you met." Alya picked up, eyes narrowing a little. "Whenever the subject was mentioned, she would start stuttering and you'd have to pick up where she stopped. How about you finally give the real story?"

He chuckled. "To be painfully honest, and probably hurt my image a little, we lived across the building from each other on the same floor. She had a habit of leaving her curtains open all the time, especially late at night when she worked on Ladybug, and it shined into my room. At the time, I had late hours because of modeling for Gabriel, and I'd sleep through my alarm if I didn't have the morning sun to shine in on my face. Her room shining into mine kept me up at night and I ended up looking in to see why she couldn't shut the lights off at two a.m." A finger scratched his cheek, heat coming to his cheeks. "As one in the business, irritation turned to curiosity as I noticed how talented she was. It was only fate that I met her through your boyfriend and you, who was her friend."

" _You're_ _complaining_ _that_ _a_ _hot,_ _young_ _French_ _man_ _has_ _been_ _observing_ _you_ _and_ _whatever_ _you've_ _been_ _working_ _on_ _across_ _the_ _way_ _for_ _a_ _long_ _time_ _and_ _might_ _just_ _possibly_ _be_ _interested_ _in_ _you_ _as_ _a_ _person?"_

" _You_ _don't_ _have_ _to_ _make_ _it_ _sound_ _like_ _that..."_

Alya's eyes widened, mouth dropping. "Oh yea! I forgot all about that! Man, it's been so long ago." She chuckled. "I actually did know about that because she called me right after you laid the news on her and she was freaking out."

"Anyway." Nadja broke in, stern eyes on Alya's loose behavior. "It's an...interesting story. Romantic in its own way. So it sounds like you managed to meet this designer...?"

He grinned. "I've been dating her for almost a year and a half at the end of August, but I knew her from that whole debacle for our first grad years."

Nadja's mouth dropped open a little, not privy to such news despite being a reporter, but Alya only smiled. "Congratulations on the year anniversary. What do you plan on doing now? I heard you graduated with your degree at ISC, but what will you do from here?"

He rested his elbows on his knees, fingers lightly threaded. His heart picked up pace, but the smile wouldn't leave his face. "I had a lot of big things happen this last half year. It's been really hectic, but it's given me clarity on my future. I'd like to go open to the public and say that I met my mother."

"Zoe Agreste?" Nadja blurted out.

He looked Nadja's way with a nod. "I won't divulge where's she's at, but...if she happens to watch shows with me in it as well, I'd like to tell her that it's okay to come home and I actually need her here in the next two years."

Nadja's brow knit together in confusion. "I was unaware that your family household had gotten better. Surely someone would have reported on it by now..."

He gave something of a sad smile. "My mother is still facing the pressures of the media and battling with anxiety coupled with depression. I didn't ask her to move back home when I saw her a few months ago, but I will need her to get better as soon as she can to be back in Paris for my wedding."

"I'm sure all of us would love to hear much more about that little tidbit, but after a quick commercial break." Nadja redirected, going for her water when the camera light switched off.

"This is going to be huge, I just know it." Alya commented before she chugged half of her water bottle. "What are the odds that PR has already been alerted to the program running right now? Think they passed the news on yet?"

He put the cap back on his own bottle with a hum. "If they haven't yet, they will for the wedding news we'll go into after the time is up."

"Just spend plenty of time going into detail." Alya suddenly perked up. "Mind giving Nino some public cred too while you're at it?" She winked. "I don't think he'd mind the world knowing you were his bud."

He grinned. "So long as he doesn't kill me either, I don't mind it."

They were given quick heads up that the commercials were almost done and got the count down. Nadja recapped the first part when the red light on the camera went on, and lead back to the wedding comment.

"How old are you now, Adrien? If you don't mind my saying so since it is your birthday today. Happy birthday by the way."

"Thanks. I'm twenty-four now."

"Pardon me for saying so, but you're still quite young for marriage."

He grinned. "I don't intend on getting married now, Madame. I have two final years on my second graduate degree and then I'll enter into the work force. At this time, I'm halfway through my first year, so if it's alright with my hopeful fiance, we could get married before we're both twenty-eight."

"Sounds like you already have this whole thing planned out." Alya hedged, intently staring at him.

He laughed. "Not really. I only found an outstanding dj I know will be okay with playing at my wedding. Couldn't have asked for a better musician. Maybe I should ask him to be my best man while I'm at it." He looked to the camera. "What do you say, Nino Lahiffe? I'll contract you out for the music, you can sell your cds during the reception, but you have to make the speech." He turned away to the camera. "I also need a camera to record the ceremony and whatnot." He added, looking Alya's way. "Think I could borrow your crew for the occasion?"

Alya smiled that grin of the cat that ate the canary. "Why, I'd be honored, Monsieur." She answered, voice syrupy.

"Do you think that Gabriel will be in charge of the outfits or your fiance? As they both seem to be designers, I can imagine the struggle." Nadja interjected with another stern look Alya's way.

"I'm pretty sure she'll want to make her own gown as a Ladybug special, but Gabriel has never made wedding attire...though I'm sure that's something father wouldn't mind doing for the day. The crew could break into the market easily."

Nadja suddenly put a hand to her ear. She was silent for a second before nodding a little. "Speaking of the business, we seem to have the owner of Gabriel, Gabriel Agreste himself on the line." She looked up, as if he were in the rafters above. "Monsieur, can you hear us?"

"Just what do you think you're doing on national television without consulting HR or PR first, Adrien?"

He expected such a start. "Aren't you happy to hear that your child wants to get married, father?"

"Don't play coy with me, Adrien. You should have never discussed such things before informing me first!"

He smiled. "Does this mean that I'll need Marinette to make my tux for me?"

"Don't be ridiculous. What kind of designer would I be without being able to make my only son his wedding attire? We'll discuss this more in depth when you get home tonight."

There was silence dictating that Gabriel had hung up. Adrien cringed only a little, knowing such a reaction would happen. The stern voice told him his father wasn't happy with this, of course, but the promise of speaking more into it meant he could wedge his foot past the door and throw it wide open with the right words.

It was going to make for a great scoop though. He could already imagine the planning and images his father was going to put in his production crew's head and the need for info he would need from his PR crew after this finished recording. The only problem they might incur was if Marinette wanted to be involved more than just her own dress. That would be an interesting collaboration that could either bomb everything or skyrocket her to fame.

"It seems that you might have gotten the okay, Adrien." Nadja jumped in. "We'll have to take a break and come back to the rest of your marriage ideas. It seems that there was yet one more piece you wanted to share before we end today's program."

He nodded, wanting to fidget all over again. "Very much so." He looked to the camera, heart galloping in his chest. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I hope you're watching because I'd like you to come to the studio."

The camera soon went off a second time and he looked to Alya to find her already on her phone. "Oh yea...you're dead." She reported, eyes darting around as she read the stream of texts. "'What the hell is he thinking?! Why is he doing this on television? Why is he talking to you and not me about this? Is he for real?' So she says." Alya reported, finally looking up.

He finished the last of his water and looked past the cameras, finding someone grabbing one from the stack and taking the empty bottle when she reached him. He sat back in the chair, nervously tapping his leg. "Hopefully she was already out the door and didn't need me to tell her to come here."

Alya was rapidly typing into her phone, mostly quiet, although she would snort or cringe a little. "Yup...she's over halfway here now. She hopes to get there before commercials are done so she can maim you without much evidence, but don't count yourself so lucky." Alya looked up, brow rising. "She's going to be really hard to contain so I hope you have everything ready."

He smirked. "It's been ready for a week. Thanks for smuggling me her jewelry by the way."

Alya cut her laughter short and put her phone away just as the countdown ended again. Nadja recapped the first and second parts of the show, looking to Alya to discuss their opinions and try to stall a little to let Marinette show up.

"So what do you think will happen after the news hits the internet and the magazines get wind of this?"Alya asked, already knowing the answer.

"I know that I made things more annoying and busy for everyone, including myself." He reported, casually resting his leg on a knee as if they were discussing the weather. His fingers steepled together, elbows on the chair. "Father is going to have wedding companies knocking on his door for planning, if the ones with tvs in their offices haven't done so by now, and the good reporters have probably called PR wanting more interviews after this one. I know that by plugging my future fiance's webpage she'll have more work to do, and I can only hope that she'll have the means to hire more people for production help and design ideas. While I have long offered my modeling services to her despite being the main icon of Gabriel, I would love to help her any way I can so her business succeeds. I don't expect her to merge with Gabriel at all, and I know she wouldn't want to work under him and lose her own style. I just hope she can lean on me enough to be an independent rival to my father's."

"Don't bet on it, Monsieur!"

The trio looked behind Alya's seat for the exit door of the studio to find Marinette and one of the employees walking in. Or stomping in with fire coming out of her nose, ears, top of her head...

"Just remember...you're on live television..." He quickly warned in Mandarin.

"Then if I go off in this language, no one should be able to understand me except mama!" Marinette fumed, matching him.

He stood and met her in the middle of the small setup, hands up to placate the rage in her eyes. "If you do, I'm not sure how well the rest of this interview is going to go." He mumbled, switching back to French.

"I could care less! Just WHY are you even here in the first place?!" She nearly screeched, going back to French anyway.

Alya stood and put both hands on Marinette's shoulders. "Girl, calm yourself. You're on national television. Why don't we get you a chair next to Adrien? I believe he wanted to talk to you about this whole thing."

Marinette crossed her arms with a dark look, stormy blue burning Alya's glasses off as she stared her friend down. "Is this your doing? I bet it is. Did you con him into this?!"

Alya tried not to get as indignant as she felt and ruin her first appearance. "This was all his idea actually." A hand swept Adrien's way to redirect her friend. "He ran this by me to get my opinion."

"You TALKED about wanting to marry me to Alya instead of me?!"

He squared his shoulders and turned Marinette so her back was to the camera she was in front of, though it wasn't the only one on the set. He left his hands there as if trying to level with her. He tried to keep his eyes on her, using his peripheral vision on the crew suddenly moving around. "You have every right to be upset about this, my lady. I should have talked to you about it as the person most important to me in my life. I love you more than life itself and it was wrong of me to do this on tv without telling you that I would disrupt everything in your life." His eyes flickered to Marinette's left for half of a second and quickly drew her into a hug as one of the crew got closer. "I apologize for this, but there was so much that I wanted to accomplish with this stunt. I wanted your name to be known to the world so that everyone is aware of your talents. I wanted my mother to know what was going on up here so that she could be ready. I didn't want this to be any less serious to my father than if I brought you to him to give him the news."

An arm reached out behind her, fingers open to grab what the crew held out inside the camera.

He pulled back enough to see her eyes, finding them less irate and more slightly annoyed that he hadn't come to her first. He gave a caring smile and brought his free hand to her chin and raised it a little more than it already was for the briefest of kisses.

He then stepped back and went down on one knee, a dozen red roses with beautiful baby's breath adorning the white wrapping in one hand. "This is only a small token of apology." He waited for the shock to leave and her hands float up to take the roses. He only gave her half a minute to admire the spectacle, using the width of the bouquet to hide most of his body. "On my last birthday, I gave you two dozen roses for each month that I was in love with you. This dozen is for the last year."

He felt the square weight in his hand and nodded Alya's handing over the box, his eyes never leaving Marinette's.

"I hope that you can consider the carets on this band the next year and wait one more until I can get you the second..."

The lid came open and with it, two rings side by side in the velvet bedding made for them. Both of them were silver. The simple diamond engagement band was only interesting in the loop it had. It was lined with diamonds, but that was it.

The wedding band however...that one was lined with diamonds, onyx, and garnet gems.

It almost looked like a ladybug. Almost. It was a circular design, but the gems were only in their respective corners, not set up like the wings. Still, it was enough of a representation to make the tears fall from her eyes and her chin wobble at such thoughtfulness.

Her free hand floated to cover her mouth and stifle the cries, but she couldn't stop the tears. She couldn't move her eyes away from the box, or his hands cradling it like it were glass. She was shaking and couldn't even stutter words to form syllables.

Alya noticed the trouble and leaned forward in her chair a little. She didn't bother to get near the pair, knowing the cameras had fixated on them the second Adrien got out of his chair. It was part of the plan after all.

"Well now, Marinette, don't leave the poor boy and the nation waiting. Why don't you give him answer? Do you think you could get used to the last name Agreste?"

Marinette fell to her knees in front of him, throwing her arms around his shoulders and squishing the rings to his chest. She held him as tightly as she could, never letting go of the roses. "Y – y...you...silly k – kitty!" She sniffled, hiccuping. "I th – thought...y – you'd n – never...ask!"

His arms went around her tightly, making sure to snap the lid closed as to not lose anything else precious in this moment. It had taken a long time to figure out just what he wanted the ring to look like. He wanted something for her to remember, something fun to look at whenever she looked to her hand. He had a feeling she would need to take it off whenever she worked on Ladybug articles, but hopefully she would be able to keep it on all the time as her business took off.

Marinette finally pulled back and extended a shaking left hand, trying to sniffle everything back as he sat back on his heels and opened the box again. He pulled the engagement band out of its spot and gently placed it on her finger. It was a perfect fit and she looked to him after staring at it for moments.

"How did you...know my size?" She asked, wiping tears.

He smiled. "I had a little help from your maid of honor."

Marinette met Alya's grinning face and her mouth fell open. "You...sneaky...!"

Alya's grin got wider. "I made him promise before I did recon in your room. You're stuck with me bestie."

Marinette gave a shaky laugh, sniffling again and hugging Adrien. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

 _Wedding band inspiration: jewelsforme com/onyx-jewelry/onyx-rings/white_gold/2629r-3rd/onyx-garnet?gclid=Cj0KCQiA2NXTBRDoARIsAJRIvLyA6EtEbja4Lx8NV7Q9dwFWAXItcggS7vMu2bbqh6w_kOX77MQ3Wa4aAuAVEALw_wcB_

 _Engagement band inspiration: opensky com/berricle/product/berricle-sterling-silver-round-cz-art-deco-curved-half-eternity-band-ring-r984-b?max_discount=1 &osky_ coupon=55m20Off&configurationId=566cb335a3771cf91b8bbcd2&osky_origin=googlepla&osky_source=cse&osky_campaign=OpenSky_PLA_NonAdvertiser&gclid=Cj0KCQiA2NXTBRDoARIsAJRIvLyWKDTui9ze_r4fcl5pBQRxjcevYBEG7KHOhamJdV2iqS6Z6ZtVywoaArldEALw_wcB_


	103. Alls well that ends well

" _Do_ _you,_ _Adrien_ _Agreste,_ _agree_ _to_ _wed_ _Marinette_ _Dupain-Cheng?"_

" _I_ _do."_

" _And_ _do_ _you,_ _Marinette_ _Dupain-Cheng,_ _agree_ _to_ _wed_ _Adrien_ _Agreste?"_

" _I_ _do."_

" _Then_ _Marinette,_ _please_ _repeat_ _after_ _me._ _'I,_ _Marinette,_ _take_ _thee,_ _Adrien,_ _to_ _be_ _my_ _husband._ _To_ _have_ _and_ _to_ _hold,_ _from_ _this_ _day_ _forward,_ _for_ _better_ _or_ _worse,_ _for_ _richer_ _or_ _poorer,_ _in_ _sickness_ _and_ _in_ _health,_ _to_ _love_ _and_ _cherish,_ _till_ _death_ _do_ _us_ _part.'"_

" _I,_ _Marinette,_ _take_ _thee,_ _Adrien,_ _to_ _be_ _my_ _husband._ _To_ _have_ _and_ _to_ _hold,_ _from_ _this_ _day_ _forward,_ _for_ _better_ _or_ _worse,_ _for_ _richer_ _or_ _poorer,_ _in_ _sickness_ _and_ _in_ _health,_ _to_ _love_ _and_ _cherish,_ _till_ _death_ _do_ _us_ _part."_

" _Adrien,_ _please_ _repeat_ _after_ _me._ _'I_ _Adrien,_ _take_ _thee,_ _Marinette,_ _to_ _be_ _my_ _wife._ _To_ _have_ _and_ _to_ _hold,_ _from_ _this_ _day_ _forward,_ _for_ _better_ _or_ _worse,_ _for_ _richer_ _or_ _poorer,_ _in_ _sickness_ _and_ _in_ _health,_ _to_ _love_ _and_ _cherish,_ _till_ _death_ _do_ _us_ _part.'"_

 _'I, Adrien, take thee, Marinette, to be my wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, and not even death shall we part.'"_

She rolled her eyes, a smile still coming from her. He was so cheesy and it made her want to cringe a little that he said such a thing in front of dozens of family and friends, not to mention the agreements he had with Alya's tv station about broadcasting the whole thing. She was red in the face half the time knowing that people were going to be watching this and recording it to look at whenever they wanted to...if his fan club still existed after that day anyway.

She would have been madder if she didn't request a copy of it for herself to watch whenever they had long stretches away from each other like this.

She went to stretch at the long pause of watching her wedding ceremony and quickly stopped when a bout of nausea hit. She took a deep breath to calm herself and reached out for the still-steaming cup of ginger tea and sipped it. She ended up drinking more than one sip and it was almost empty before she put it back. The back of her head found the leather part of her desk chair and she gave a small groan in the empty office. "Ugh...it wasn't as bad as it was with Emma, but it still sucks no matter how many time I have kids..."

Thankfully, her mother had all sorts of traditional remedies from when Louis was started and she used them for both kids.

She grinned and looked at his recorded profile again.

" _So...I_ _heard_ _about_ _this_ _three_ _kids_ _and_ _a_ _hamster_ _bit..."_

" _Alya?!_ _Damn_ _her!"_

" _I_ _think_ _it's_ _cute._ _Especially_ _when_ _you_ _were_ _that_ _infatuated_ _with_ _me_ _back_ _before_ _you_ _ever_ _met_ _me."_

" _I...may_ _have_ _exaggerated_ _a_ _few_ _things..."_

" _Well,_ _Louis_ _and_ _Emma_ _are_ _both_ _over_ _at_ _father's_ _per_ _my_ _request..._ _I_ _can't_ _think_ _of_ _a_ _better_ _way_ _to_ _start_ _our_ _five_ _year_ _anniversary..."_

"Sneaky little kitty..." She murmured, eyes playfully narrowing on the paused video. Fingers drummed on the armrest, the other one used to prop her head up. "If I had known you were going to be gone for a month to help with Little Black Cat in the Asian market, I would've made you wait till you got back..."

Hugo. She knew it was a boy from the ultrasound, but she was going to make him wait for being gone so long. He didn't know she had gone to the doctor yet and she was going to hand him the printouts of the exam when he got back.

A hand went to the small bump, a tender smile forming. Louis and Emma both knew about it, although Emma was just past two, so she didn't understand much. It took a few dolls and playing for her to figure out that the bump in mommy's tummy was a baby, but now it was the first thing she said whenever her hands found the small protrusion.

"You'll have some good siblings to help take care of you, so don't worry..." She murmured, looking to the hand rubbing her stomach.

Louis was a happy child and did so much, but that was probably Adrien's exuberant, first child parent syndrome. He cuddled Louis as much as he could and she wondered if he was making up for anything or amending the gap in his own life. Whatever it was, Louis was affectionate and one to ask for hugs as much as either of them would give them. He always cried whenever daddy had to go away for trips and couldn't go with. Spending time with either set of grandparents helped calm him down though.

Emma was a little quieter and not just because she was a girl. Two months after her birth was about that time they finally managed to convince Zoe to move in with them in the house they bought in Chatou and Zoe spent a lot of time with Emma as an infant. It was a huge help because her business skyrocketed so much and she was forced to spend less and less time away whenever there were spare seconds to do something. Zoe was something of a quiet person when she first visited her in Menton and spent lots of time rocking Emma in her room, just staring off at the view they had from the house.

Emma was still a sweet girl and wanted to play dress-up with her hats and ribbons whenever Marinette pulled them out to check a design she was crafting. She helped put things away, though a little encouragement was needed, and loved to cuddle.

She sighed and looked to the closed door. She wanted to spend time with the two, but she needed to get this done because the deadline was in two days and she didn't want any stress from crunch time.

" _You_ _make_ _them,_ _I'll_ _plug_ _your_ _business,_ _and_ _we_ _can_ _let_ _the_ _audience_ _decide_ _which_ _one_ _is_ _best._ _You_ _can_ _still_ _sell_ _them_ _on_ _your_ _website._ _It's_ _a_ _win-win_ _for_ _everyone."_

" _But_ _they're_ _all_ _going_ _to_ _be_ _tailored_ _to_ _you!_ _How_ _many_ _people_ _do_ _you_ _think_ _have_ _your_ _chin_ _structure_ _and_ _hips?"_

" _Please._ _Plenty_ _of_ _women_ _who_ _like_ _food._ _Come_ _on!_ _I'll_ _pay_ _what_ _it's_ _going_ _to_ _cost!_ _Nino's_ _jaw_ _will_ _hit_ _the_ _floor!_ _Pleeassseee!"_

Deep blue gravitated to the pad on the desk. She had almost finished coloring it and looking at the sketches, but she needed Alya in her bridesmaid's dress for inspiration. That included getting out the old wedding photo because she made Alya's dress instead of letting Gabriel do it.

Oh the struggle that had been. It had been a few tense moments on tuxes, shoes, purses, and catering, but they finally found the stride that worked for them and managed to collaborate enough to not tear each other's hair out from a designer's point of view. The tv cameras ate up the publicity, as did she, and not even shortly before Louis was conceived did she finally hire two people to help her out. She couldn't keep up with the amount of orders anymore when first trimester nausea hit and a production crew was finally born.

Hands scrubbed her face with a sigh when she got the last line in place. She rested against the back of the chair again, looking to the ceiling. "Ugh..my head hurts..." She mumbled, lips pursing. "I need some lavender tea..." She went for her phone and pulled up the text box.

 _Could you make a pot of lavender tea for me please? The front of my head is hurting again._

She sighed at her own laziness, but sent the text and put the phone back. He was in the same area as she was, though probably not with the kids like Zoe was. It wasn't like she was an invalid, just tired, nauseous, and achy. What a combo. And it was going to happen for about another two months.

The door opened moments later and she gave a grateful smile when her eyes landed on the teapot. "Thanks. Sorry for asking so much from you. I could have gotten it myself...I just.." She put her face in her hands, the darkness feeling much better than she thought it was.

There was a quiet clunk and sound of running water. The smell of flowers hit her nose and she breathed in with a happy hum before a pair of slender hands went for her exposed neck. She gave a groan of happiness at the pressure on the knots in the shoulders. "Ahh...hurts so good..." She mumbled, hands dropping to her lap.

"I can stop if it's too much. I don't want to hurt you."

She snorted, but slowly shook her head. "They don't go away if you're nice to them." She responded and the pressure remained the same. It hurt to have him squeeze the tense spots like he was, but made the blood tingle in her fingers and it was nice.

"Feel better?"

She looked up with closed eyes and a happy smile. "You give the best massages. Adrien should take lessons from you."

"As awkward as it was enough for me to be around you two in the beginning, that might tip his patience back to the starting point."

She snorted and finally looked to soft blue eyes framed by red hair. "You're doing just fine. I think you have more to worry about with Emma following you everywhere." She giggled.

He smiled. "Don't tell me she's one of those kids who marries older men?"

"Pffftt. Please. Adrien really would kill you if that was the case. He's so protective of his little girl."

"As am I."

"Take a seat, Nathaniel." She redirected, hand waving to the chair at the corner of her desk which he primarily used. "I finally got all of Alya's stuff done, so you can take it to production. They measured her already I heard, so I'd like to get this stunt of hers out of the way as much as possible so I can relax and kick my feet up. Maybe cuddle with Louis and Emma before dinner. I haven't talked to mama Zoe all afternoon and I feel bad."

Nathaniel smiled as he grabbed the sketchpad. "She understands completely and she told me to tell you not to worry. They're working on her next book in the other room."

She frowned a little. "I know she considers it penance for running out on Adrien all those years ago, but he sees it as getting to let his mother spend time with her grand kids. They only spend a few days a month with Gabriel and that's partially for photo shoots."

Nathaniel grinned. "I'm sure you're still oh-so-pleased about that."

She pouted and crossed her arms over her stomach. "He doesn't get Hugo for advertising. I don't care what deal he made with Adrien about Emma and Louis; he doesn't get this one."

"Hugo? It's a boy?"

She grinned. "Don't say I told you before I told Adrien. He'd never let me hear the end of it."

Nathaniel smirked. "Something to lord over his head sounds tempting, but I won't. You'd make my job hell in advertising for the rest of the year."

Fingers went to the bridge of her nose, rubbing at the ache in her eyes. "And don't you forget it."

"The tea should be cool enough by now, let it do the job you needed it to."

She quietly sipped the tea, answering questions that he asked about lines and curves on the three different patterns in order to finish the visions she had in mind. She watched him jot down notes on buttons, stitching, and fabric styles in the blank spots, feeling proud that he was so accomplished in such a short time.

Course, his history with her was primarily the reason she asked for him to be her right hand man in the first place.

" _I_ _need_ _your_ _help."_

" _Surely_ _there_ _are_ _many_ _other_ _qualified_ _people_ _you_ _can_ _ask."_

" _None_ _of_ _those_ _people_ _have_ _a_ _history_ _with_ _my_ _work_ _like_ _you_ _do._ _I_ _trust_ _your_ _judgment_ _and_ _I_ _know_ _you_ _wouldn't_ _screw_ _me_ _over despite everything_ _we've_ _been_ _through."_

" _You_ _know_ _I_ _would_ _never_ _do_ _that_ _to_ _you."_

" _I_ _knew_ _the_ _day_ _I_ _got_ _your_ _Noel_ _present_ _that_ _we_ _could_ _be_ _okay_ _in_ _the_ _future_ _enough_ _to_ _meet._ _I_ _know_ _inviting_ _you_ _to_ _my_ _wedding_ _was_ _a_ _little_ _weird_ _and_ _probably_ _too_ _much_ _to_ _ask_ _for,_ _but_ _thanks_ _for_ _at_ _least_ _meeting_ _me_ _after_ _it."_

" _Does_ _he_ _know_ _about_ _this?"_

" _I_ _discussed_ _it_ _with_ _him._ _I_ _had_ _to_ _since_ _he_ _got_ _me_ _all_ _that_ _limelight_ _in_ _the_ _first_ _place._ _He_ _knows_ _what_ _it's_ _like_ _to_ _have_ _people_ _around_ _you_ _in_ _a_ _business_ _that_ _can_ _go_ _global._ _I_ _don't_ _want_ _anyone_ _from_ _his_ _team_ _coming_ _over_ _to_ _mine._ _I_ _want_ _my_ _own and I'll not have anyone say that I'm using Gabriel to further my own by stealing his staff._ _I'll...admit_ _that_ _we_ _struggled_ _with_ _it_ _a_ _bit,_ _but_ _I_ _assured_ _him_ _with_ _the_ _ring_ _on_ _my_ _finger_ _that_ _I_ _wasn't_ _going_ _to_ _go_ _anywhere."_

" _Do_ _you_ _even_ _know_ _what_ _you're_ _asking?_ _This_ _means_ _I'm_ _going_ _to_ _be_ _something_ _of_ _a_ _business_ _partner_ _and_ _at_ _your_ _side_ _more_ _often_ _than_ _he_ _will_ _at_ _times._ _Do_ _you_ _think_ _you_ _can_ _handle_ _that? Do you think I can handle that? Don't_ _you_ _think_ _that's_ _a_ _lot_ _of_ _pressure_ _on_ _me?"_

" _I_ _wouldn't_ _have_ _asked_ _if_ _I_ _didn't_ _think_ _that_ _time_ _hadn't_ _helped_ _you_ _out._ _I_ _know_ _that_ _it's_ _entirely_ _selfish_ _of_ _me_ _to_ _ask_ _you_ _to_ _join_ _my_ _company,_ _but,_ _in_ _a_ _way,_ _you_ _already_ _had_ _years_ _ago._ _You_ _were_ _one_ _of_ _the_ _founding_ _members_ _who_ _gave_ _it_ _the_ _name._ _It_ _was_ _just_ _never_ _official monetarily."_

" _Let_ _me_ _think_ _this_ _over._ _I'm_ _glad_ _you're_ _offering_ _me_ _to_ _be_ _involved_ _with_ _this,_ _but_ _it's_ _still_ _a_ _lot_ _to_ _take_ _in._ _I_ _was_ _almost_ _ready_ _to_ _showcase_ _at_ _a_ _few_ _galas,_ _you_ _know._ _This_ _means_ _I'll_ _have_ _to_ _reorganize_ _my_ _whole_ _life_ _for_ _you_ _again._ _I_ _already_ _had_ _to_ _do_ _that_ _once. You'll have to understand if I'm hesitant to be involved so heavily with you like you want."_

" _Take_ _all_ _the_ _time_ _you_ _need._ _I'm_ _asking_ _early,_ _but_ _I'd_ _say_ _I_ _might_ _be_ _able_ _to_ _hold_ _out_ _for_ _another_ _two_ _months._ _Louis_ _is_ _making_ _it_ _a_ _tad_ _difficult_ _to_ _keep_ _on_ _my_ _feet_ _every_ _day_ _as_ _it_ _is._ _I_ _finally_ _bit_ _the_ _bullet_ _and_ _hired_ _a_ _few_ _people_ _to_ _help_ _me_ _make_ _things_ _and_ _I_ _like_ _their_ _work._ _Juleka_ _actually_ _gave_ _me_ _their_ _names."_

" _I'll_ _contact_ _you_ _with_ _my_ _answer."_

That ended up being in the hospital after Louis was born. She let Nathaniel hold him and she swore the look of fierce protection in his eyes helped make the decision for him. It had been harder for him than it was for her for the most part, but the bridge they had constructed since then was special in its own right, built on years of memories and business relations. She only needed him for half of the week, letting him work on his art which she also had in parts of the house.

She helped him get his name out and let him take credit for some of the designs to showcase his talent to the world. It helped his fame a little to be associated with her, as hers had jumped because of being around Adrien. She was giving back to so many people who had helped her earlier and it felt good. There was nothing wrong with being a good friend with a special history and not losing touch in the future.

"I think everything is in order." Nathaniel finalized, closing the book. He stood and looked down. "Did you call Juleka and tell her when she needs to be photographing Alya? You'd better hope that she's not hanging out with Rose in some part of England for Ivan's concerts right now."

She slouched in the chair. "I emailed her a week ago, but never got a response. I don't know if she's taking photos of landscapes right now or not. She knows to check her email from time to time so she doesn't lose out on paychecks from me though." She grinned and slowly stood, hands going for the tea. "I know she freelances more and more after working for me, but I hope she still knows where her stable employment comes from." Sip." Ahh...that's good."

Nathaniel smiled and went for the handle. "Let's take it into the living room and you can join everyone. We were drawing pictures and Zoe was working on the story they were telling her. I think Mylene gave her another two weeks to get it done, so you have a lot of illustrations to catch up on."

She sighed, head falling back. "Damn...I forgot about that. I thought the kids were going to do most of it now that Louis is almost five?"

"While Louis and Emma followed in your artsy footsteps, Emma IS only two, you know." Nathaniel held the door open for her and she nodded a thanks. "We'll take a few blank pages out of this or you can grab another one that Zoe isn't using and have the kids dictate to you. It'll be good time with them."

She smiled and nodded. She was tired and really wanted a mid-afternoon nap to reset herself, but it did sound fun. Now that Alya's job request was sent to the next step, she could work on Zoe's children book request.

" _I'd_ _like_ _to_ _give_ _the_ _grandchildren_ _something_ _special_ _from_ _me."_

" _Like_ _what?_ _You_ _already_ _spend_ _springs_ _with_ _them_ _in_ _the_ _garden._ _They_ _love_ _being_ _outside_ _with_ _you_ _while_ _you_ _tend_ _to_ _the_ _plants._ _They_ _always_ _love_ _helping_ _to_ _water_ _them."_

" _There's_ _still_ _more_ _I_ _wish_ _I_ _could_ _do._ _I_ _didn't_ _give_ _Adrien_ _anything_ _good_ _to_ _remember_ _me_ _by._ _The_ _journals_ _are_ _a_ _terrible_ _thing_ _for_ _him_ _to_ _pass_ _along_ _to_ _Louis_ _and_ _Emma._ _I'd_ _rather_ _burn_ _them,_ _but_ _I_ _keep_ _them_ _with_ _me_ _to_ _help_ _me_ _never_ _make_ _those_ _mistakes_ _again."_

" _So_ _what_ _are_ _you_ _thinking_ _then?"_

" _I_ _want_ _something_ _that_ _Louis_ _and_ _Emma_ _and_ _I_ _can_ _do_ _together._ _Emma_ _won't_ _be_ _able_ _to_ _do_ _anything_ _yet,_ _but_ _maybe_ _in_ _the_ _future_ _once_ _she_ _learns_ _to_ _talk,_ _she_ _could_ _make_ _a_ _few_ _books._ _I_ _can_ _use_ _my_ _fame_ _to_ _plug_ _them_ _and_ _maybe_ _Alya_ _could_ _help_ _me...?"_

" _I_ _do_ _know_ _someone_ _in_ _the_ _publishing_ _business_ _if_ _you_ _want_ _to_ _talk_ _to_ _her._ _I'm_ _sure_ _she_ _would_ _love_ _to_ _help._ _She_ _might_ _be_ _working_ _on_ _her_ _own_ _book_ _though._ _I_ _think_ _she's_ _making_ _a_ _three-part_ _series_ _out_ _of_ _it,_ _but_ _she'd_ _spare_ _the_ _time._ _If_ _she_ _can't,_ _she'll_ _definitely_ _know_ _someone_ _in_ _her_ _job_ _that_ _could."_

It was a strange thing considering she was a highly accomplished artist with a degree from Sorbonne and a business degree in fashion. She struggled a little with children designs and making them on a level of a three-year-old. Once Louis could say his colors and articulate what he wanted well enough to form good sentences, he helped them make the books that Zoe wrote down for him.

In a way, they were more from Louis's head in the beginning, with Emma added in as she learned to talk and got into the project. It was a beautiful idea Zoe thought up and they had a few of the collection in Louis's room. He loved reading them to Hugo when it was everyone's night-night time and she knew that Emma would take up the slack with her own ideas soon enough. It was a family thing all its own and a connection for Zoe with her kids. Whenever Adrien was home, both Louis and Emma would fight on who got to read to him first.

She stifled a giggle as she thought about the last time the pair were nearly in tears on turns and Adrien ended up reading one of their other books to her in order to break the struggle. Those two were adorable in their own ways...

"And don't forget fire! Dragons have fire!"

"Princess and pointy hats! Purple! Purple is pretty. The best!"

"So the dragon has captured the princess; then what happens? Is there a knight who comes in to save the princess?"

"The princess has a sword!"

"Princesses don't have swords!"

"Do too!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Why can't they have swords, Emma?"

"Princesses have to wear dress!"

"Well, could we make a dress that could have a sword? Then she'd be pretty neat, right?"

"I think we could make a dress that might work with that." She butt in with a grin. She stumbled a second as the pair each took up a leg and hugged it. She ruffled Louis's head and smiled at Emma before turning to Nathaniel. "I think this could be a hard one to tackle. You want to stay and help or be done for the day?"

Nathaniel held up the pad. "I'll get these scanned and do a video chat with the production crew to make sure they have everything before coming back. I'll let you get started without me."

"Uncle Nathan! Princesses can have swords, right? They can!"

Nathaniel chuckled and reached down to ruffle Louis's hair. "They can if they want to. Your mommy had a sword for a number of years. It's called wit."

"Mommy had a sword?"

"See! Princesses can have swords! Let's put a sword in there, mamie!"

Zoe laughed and looked to the notebook. "Alright, sword it is. But, how is she going to hold it? What is she going to do with it?"

Marinette looked up and gave Nathaniel a lopsided grin. "This is definitely going to take a while." She mumbled when Louis started play-fighting in the air with a sword he was pulling from his imagination.

"Should I order take-out?"

She shook her head. "Mama should be coming over tonight. She said she wanted to make Emma something sweet and I gave in when she said I could have some, too. Pretty sure papa already has something made up for dinner that they're going to bring with them." She sighed, head shaking. "If I would've known they were planning on helping so much with food, I would've let them move in."

Nathaniel grinned. "You know they would never have left the bakery."

"Yea, but it's not like it's that far away from here. It's only a twenty minute train ride away."

"Why do you think I make the commute? Had I known you were planning on moving out here to give the kids some fresh air, I might have said 'no'."

She giggled and waved off his jest. "I'll see you in a bit then. Are you going to have dinner with us again? On the house."

"A Dupain-Cheng specialty? I'm in." Nathaniel took a step back. "Help out mama, Louis. You're the man of the house for now. I have to go talk to people about mama's work."

Louis stopped his playing and ran to give Nathaniel a quick hug before hurrying to the low table crayons and paper were spread all over. She joined the trio and grabbed a pillow to sit on, going for a few crayons and blank paper. "So, what does the dragon look like? That's important. It sounds like this is about the dragon after all, so we need good details."

"The princess is! She need to save from bad dragon!"

"But the mama is right. The dragon is important. He took the princess. We need to make him look mean!"

The details kept getting drawn and scratched out again as not good enough. Either Emma didn't like it, or Louis hated it. She finally made the two make a list of things they thought were important and worked from there. She was barely halfway through with getting the two to agree on the design when Nathaniel came back.

"Someone was knocking on the door so I let them in." He announced with a grin.

"Someone here?" Emma announced, sitting up with bright eyes.

"Is it that time already?" Zoe asked, eyes wide. "Goodness, where does it go?" She smiled and looked to the pair of cherub faces. "I think mamie and papi Dupain-Cheng are here with food."

That was all it took for the pair to rocket off, leaving everything where they scattered it, yelling greetings and want for snacks in their wake.

She heaved a sigh, hand coming up to rub her nose again. "Finally...a little quiet..."

Zoe and Nathaniel laughed as they cleaned up. "Feeling up to some food, dear?"

She smiled and grabbed the empty crayon box. "Starving. Hugo has been kicking me for what feels like forever."

"I could have gotten you a snack you know..." Nathaniel frowned. He tapped the stack of papers on her head. "Don't make Hugo wait! He's a growing boy."

"So it's a boy?" Zoe perked up and dropped everything in her hands to grab Marinette's. "I'm so happy for you, dear! That's wonderful! We'll have to tell Tom and Sabine. Oh...should I call Adrien?"

She smirked. "He can wait till next week when he gets back home."

"Now, now, don't take it out on the poor boy." Zoe lightly chided with a smile. "He didn't mean any harm in leaving. It was what he decided to do after all."

"I know. It'll interfere with whatever he's doing though if I call him. I want him to focus so he can be happy here at home. I wouldn't want to miss it." She smiled. "I just hope he doesn't forget to give Christine Lau my regards."

"I'll go help wrangle the duo from your parents and get the table set." Nathaniel offered, setting the collected stack of papers on the table. "Don't be too long."

Zoe helped her stand when they finished finding the last of the crayons off the floor. "Are you really going to make him wait an entire week to know he gets another rough-housing boy? He's going to be too excited to know that he gets to teach another one to walk all over again."

She giggled and patted Zoe's hand. "I already foresaw the three kids years ago. I told him, but he didn't believe me. Even mama thought it was a boy before I got the sonogram. He's already spent the last few weeks not knowing, one more won't kill him."

"Ah well. Alls well that ends well, right?"

Marinette smiled and joined the rest of her family in the kitchen.

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Thank you to my beginning readers, those who found this in the middle, and the ones finding it after its completion. This whole thing started from one k-pop video and a single image in that video. I never thought it would be so much like a spider web with the plot and connections. It seems so abrupt to end it now, even though it turned out to be 103 chapters long and 1.5 years worth of researching and posting. I put a lot of personal experiences in the story, or I built enough imagery to make it as real as possible...especially in this last chapter. Thanks for sticking with me for almost an entire year. Thanks for your comments and interactions. I hope the rollercoaster has been worth it. m(_ _)m


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